<rss version="2.0"><channel><title>eResponse Recruitment News Feed</title><description>e-Response Recruitment News Feed</description><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/</link><item><title>Flexible Working</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=9</link><description><![CDATA[The government is to consult business on ways to deal with flexible workings requests.The consultation, published today, follows the announcement that the government would extend the right to request flexible working to parents with children who are 16 and under. The consultation will also consider weather to scrap the requirement for employers to provide formal notification on whether an application has proved successful.Pat McFadden, employment relations minister, said: &amp;amp;#8220;the right to request flexible working has worked well because it helps employees to balance their home and work lives, but at the same time gives employers the right to say no where there is legitimate business concerns.Parenting requirements don&amp;amp;#8217;t end as children get older. We think it is right to extend this scheme and help parents of older children access the flexibility they need.&amp;amp;#8221; Paul Alekna says;Having spent a fair amount of time studying the information we have available to us in-house it is clear that the more pro-active employers are working towards offering alternative employment terms that meet and exceed the common cheers from those us wanting more flexible terms. It is clear these businesses are benefiting from a stronger retention rate and improved skill base; something we haven&amp;amp;#8217;t yet been able to put a price on&amp;amp;#8230;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employees to get right to take out to train</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=7</link><description><![CDATA[The Government has announced plans for the introduction of a right to request time off to undertake training, as part of its draft legislative programme for 2008/09.The new right will be modelled on the right to request flexible working. Employers will be obliged to consider seriously requests that they receive, but will be able to refuse a request where there is a good business reason for doing so. Employers will not be obliged to meet the salary or training costs to enable a request for time off to train to be met. The Government is to issue a consultation on the details of the proposals.The Government intends to introduce the right through the Education and Skills Bill, which will also create a national apprenticeship service and provide a statutory entitlement to apprenticeships for all suitably qualified young people.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>eResponse continue to support  local Rugby Club and Primrose Hospice</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=19</link><description><![CDATA[

e-Response are proud to be sponsoring Redditch 1st Team for the 3rd season running!! After last years success of Redditch winning the league we have every faith that they are in for a great season and wish them all the luck for being champions this year as well. Joe Alekna from e-Response added: &amp;quot;It was great to see Redditch win the title, it was also excellent to have such great support from our local community in helping raise money for our charity the Primrose Hospice and Redditch Rugby Club through selling the social shirts!!We can only hope to be as successful this year in selling as many shirts as possible to raise money for a good cause and help develop our local rugby club. Shirts are for sale at &amp;amp;pound;35.00, of which half the profits go to Primrose Hospice, and the other half to the Redditch Rugby Club.

If you would like to purchase a rugby shirt then please telephone 01527 66688
or email: jalekna@e-responserecruitment.co.ukand we will happily place your order]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>The European Agency worker directive</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=20</link><description><![CDATA[
The European Agency Workers Directive is expected to be passed by the European parliament today.
The directive would ensure that UK firms would pay temporary and agency workers the same as permanent staff after 12 weeks in a job.
It remains unclear whether Britain will retain its opt-out from the working time directive, which enforces a maximum 48-hour week. A number of MEPs have threatened to vote against the working hours opt-out when a revised working time directive is debated early next month.The European Agency Workers Directive is expected to be passed by the European parliament today.The directive would ensure that UK firms would pay temporary and agency workers the same as permanent staff after 12 weeks in a job.
It remains unclear whether Britain will retain its opt-out from the working time directive, which enforces a maximum 48-hour week. A number of MEPs have threatened to vote against the working hours opt-out when a revised working time directive is debated early next month.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Small Businesses to Receive &amp;pound;4 bn</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=21</link><description><![CDATA[
Alistair Darling is to announce that small businesses will receive &amp;amp;pound;4bn in European-backed loans.
The Financial Times reports that ministers have brokered a deal to bring forward funding to help SMEs in adverse economic conditions.
The loans depend on UK banks applying for tranches of credit under the scheme, which will then be lent to SMEs.
An announcement will made at a City summit today]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>BBC Highlights importance of recruiters interaction with Job Centre Plus</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=8</link><description><![CDATA[Kevin Green, the RECs Chief Executive has appeared on national BBC television and radio today (Tuesday) to highlight the importance of the recruitment industry in working with Jobcentre Plus at a time when cuts are being made to a&amp;amp;nbsp; number of its branches. &amp;amp;nbsp;

The REC has worked constructively with Jobcentre Plus over a number of years which has resulted tangible initiatives such as the Diversity Pledge. As well as this strategic level work, there are also a number of examples of practical co-operation on a local level between REC members and Jobcentre branches. It is now recognised that private agencies provide 40 per cent of all the roles that Jobcentres offer. 

Kevin stressed the close relationship between the public sector and the private sector recruitment industry in ensuring the continuing co-operation between the two so that jobseekers did not lose out and were aware of the alternative ways of finding jobs. 

He emphasised that recruitment agencies were there to assist employers find suitable candidates for their vacancies especially as some were reluctant to use Jobcentres when looking for skilled staff. 
&amp;quot;Jobcentres have a key role to play particularly in supporting those jobseekers, who were not sufficiently prepared to return to the jobs market,&amp;quot; he said. 

Kevin was interviewed on BBC Breakfast News by Declan Curry. He was also interviewed on BBC Radio Fours &amp;quot;Today&amp;quot; programme and BBC Radio Five Live&amp;amp;#8217;s &amp;quot;Wake Up To Money&amp;quot;. &amp;amp;nbsp;

In the radio interviews, Kevin also stressed the importance of the Department for Work and Pensions commissioning strategy and the critical role that private sector agencies should play in getting people off benefit and back into work. 

The REC has continued to take forward a pro-active media strategy to raise the profile of the industry and to promote the views and concerns of members. 

]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Challenging times for Engineering</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=11</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp;The engineering sector is suffering from a graduate candidate shortage says the confederation of British Industry (CBI). &amp;amp;nbsp;Sarah Morris at the CBI in the South-West told the BBC: &amp;amp;#8220;Over the next four Years we&amp;amp;#8217;ll be creating two million new jobs that need science, technology, engineering and maths. &amp;amp;nbsp;We&amp;amp;#8217;re calling onto the Government to invest a modest &amp;amp;pound;120 million in specific careers advise, to show young people exactly how promising a career in engineering can be. If we don&amp;amp;#8217;t do something, Britain will loose jobs to foreign competitors.&amp;amp;#8221;&amp;amp;nbsp;Paul Alekna Says: &amp;amp;nbsp;With little emphasis placed on how are we going to dress our marketplace for success it&amp;amp;#8217;s not surprising to see suitable talent move for technology based industry instead of engineering. &amp;amp;nbsp;Without doubt investment in appropriate apprentiship schemes would provide a better platform for future success. Let&amp;amp;#8217;s hope the CBI&amp;amp;#8217;s proposals stick&amp;amp;#8230;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Working Mums</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=12</link><description><![CDATA[
				Most workers feel their bosses do not
do enough to encourage women on maternity leave to return to work,
according to research by Monster. 

The poll found that only 17% of workers felt their employers did
everything to encourage women back to work, but a further 36% believed
that their employer would discourage mothers to return to work because
they would rather employ someone without commitments. 

Employment legislation provides new and expectant mothers with
special rights and protection, including: the right to takes time off
for antenatal care; maternity leave and pay, return to work to the same
job; request flexible working and protection from suffering a detriment
or dismissal on pregnancy grounds.

However Julian Acquari, Managing Director of Monster UK and Ireland , said the measures were not enough. 

He said: Our poll demonstrates that, despite legislation, there is
still a feeling among workers that new mothers do not receive the
support in coming back to work that they deserve from their employers. 

&amp;quot;Womens careers dont end with having children - many women look
forward to rejoining the work force, not to mention that raising a
child can be expensive and many new mothers still need to work to
provide the vital added income.&amp;quot;




			]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>National Minimum Wage to rise this October</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=13</link><description><![CDATA[The National Minimum Wage (NMW) will rise from October 2008.Adults who receive GBP5.52 an hour will receive GBP5.73, 18-21-year-olds will get a rise of 17p an hour to GBP4.77 and 16-17-year-olds will be paid GBP3.53, up from GBP3.40.The government said nearly one million low paid employees, two thirds of them women, will benefit from the increase.The government has also boosted funding for enforcement of the NMW and is planning tough new penalties for rogue employers who underpay staff as part of the Employment Bill, now before the Parliament.Business Secretary John Hutton said: &amp;quot;The National Minimum Wage remains one of the most important rights introduced by the government in the last decade. Before it was introduced, some workers could expect to be paid as little as 35p an hour; our legislation has ensured that can no longer happen.&amp;quot;&amp;quot;I am proud of the minimum wage; it makes a real difference to the lives of many of our lowest-paid workers and protects them from exploitation. It also creates a level playing field for business and boosts the economy.&amp;quot;When the NMW was launched the main rate was GBP3.60.New measures which aim to enforce the minimum wage and crack down on rogue employers include a fairer method for dealing with NMW arrears, calculated so that workers do not lose out as a result of underpayment and increasing the maximum penalty for non-payment of the NMW to an unlimited fine. The most serious cases of non-compliance will be tried in a crown court.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Job Interview</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=14</link><description><![CDATA[Personal Hygiene has been cited as a key problem among job hunters with 47% of recruiters questioned said they had received negative feedback from employers found a survey recently conducted by the REC.The survey also revealed anecdotes such as acandidate turning up in a ball gown for an interview with a fashion company, another candidate claimed he was very proficient at Sony Playstation, several candidates tried to charm their interviewer by offering them sweets and one candidate was too cain to wear her glasses at interview and mistook a cupboard for the exit on her way out.Almost all respondants (93%) had received feedback from employers about a job hunters interview appearance with 16-20 year olds identified as the worst offenders for dressing inappropriately. Casual clothing was an issue according to 63% of recruiters with one in four (23%) mentioning inappropriate footwear, one in three (29%) citing revealing clothing and one in five (19%), excessive jewellery.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Managers not managing underperformance</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=15</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp;According to research by Watson Wyatt Managers need to do more to help poorer performing staff.&amp;quot;Managers find it easy to motivate high performing indviduals but are not so adept when it comes to supporting poorer performing employees&amp;quot; says Carol Hathaway of Watson Wyatt.&amp;quot;Some of the greatest opportunities for improved organisational performance lie in helping Managers raise the bar for moderate and poorer performers but it appears from our study that few employers are doing this&amp;quot;.In its 2007/2008 Global Strategic rewards study Watson Wyatt found that only a third of poor performers said their Manager does a good job in commuicating expectations for organisational financial performance, of establishing goals for their individual performance linked back to business objectives or of providing direct feedback on their personnal performance.However, a top performer was 66% more likely to say that their immediate Supervisor does a good job of communicating organisational and performance management issues than a poor performer would, the survey found.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Tough Penalties for Rogue Employers</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=16</link><description><![CDATA[The Government today published the Employment Bill aimed at toughening penalties for rogue employers who pay under the minimum wage.&amp;amp;nbsp; It also seeks to strengthen the powers of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.Commenting on the Bill, Tom Hadley, the RECs Director of External Relations said: &amp;amp;#8220;We welcome this Bill as it aims to crack down on those employers and agencies that are breaking the rules.&amp;amp;nbsp; REC members abide by our Code of Professional Practice as well as the law.&amp;amp;nbsp; It is not right for them to be undercut by agencies that are cutting corners and mistreating workers.&amp;amp;#8221;The Bill aims to introduce new penalties for employers who do not pay the minimum wage.&amp;amp;nbsp; The Inspectorate who governs the recruitment industry will also be given more investigative powers and access to unlimited fines for those who flout the law.Commenting on these new powers, Tom Hadley added: &amp;amp;#8220;Over recent years, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has re-focused its resources to a risk-based approach.&amp;amp;nbsp; The plans to increase the number of inspectors as well as the powers of the inspectorate can only be welcome by the recruitment industry.&amp;amp;#8220;Our industry should be applauded for placing 1.3 million people into temporary jobs every week.&amp;amp;nbsp; For too long the actions of a few rogue agencies have tarnished this reputation.&amp;amp;nbsp; The REC hopes that the new powers and resource for the inspectorate will result in the rogues being put out of business for good.&amp;quot;The REC polices its Code of Professional Practice through a complaints procedure.&amp;amp;nbsp; For further information see: http://www.rec.uk.com/about-recruitment/standards/Complaints-Disciplinary-Procedure ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>The Power of a PA</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=10</link><description><![CDATA[We have worked with many seriously talented PAs over the
Years and having recently met with Dr. Gareth Osborne; Chairman of the
Association of Personal Assistants (APA) the following is an extract from his
personal blog highlighting the significance of the unsung heros at work:



Its a simple mathematical calculation but if new research by the
Association of Personal Assistants (APA) is right then every senior manager,
leader and principal must employ a PA if they want to achieve and exceed
corporate targets. In a report published today the APA details the results of
its survey of over 5,000 business leaders and suggests that their effectiveness
is hugely enhanced by having an Aid and most report an improvement in excess of
30%.

If the average salary of a CEO for the Top 500 listed companies in the UK is over
&amp;amp;pound;750,000 per year then a 30% increase in their effectiveness is sufficient to
fund an entire department. And that level of return on investment makes real
economic sense says the APA. In a small business, where the owner director
fulfils every major management role, a PA is doubly essential to ensure all the
competing plates are kept spinning and none of the business critical ones are
dropped; in this size business MDs also suggested that their PA is the sole
guardian of their corporate quality of life and director of their work life
balance.

Gone are the days when a PA was a glorified secretary (a Miss Jones) and even
less true is the stereotype portraying the PA as a flunky who runs errands,
makes coffee and looks attractive in the outer office. Modern PAs are highly
business savvy, using every technological means at their disposal and are
increasingly well educated, trained and qualified to maximise their bosss
time. They plan meetings and diaries, co-ordinate travel plans and
accommodation and process all of the day-to-day issues of an executive office

A PA has to be a great communicator and even better negotiator; managing
peoples expectations when they hope to access the boss, and making sure that
all priority tasks are processed quickly. If you ask the modern boss what takes
the most time in their busy working life most will say meetings and emails and
their PA is of fundamental importance in managing the problems associated with
both. As our research suggests, a good PA is worth a fortune and every business
leader should have one.

]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Age Discrimination</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=22</link><description><![CDATA[
Only 10% of workers aged over 50 claim they have never suffered age discrimination, a new survey has revealed.
The survey, from The Age and Employment Network (TAEN), also shows that only 13% thought age discrimination legislation introduced in October 2006 had helped older people find work.
The report also showed that 32% of respondents were degree educated and a further 23% had professional qualifications, with 67% feeling they had the right skills for todays labour market.
Despite having skills and experience, 45% said they been searching for work for more than six months with a third of this number looking for more than two years. 
Almost half (44%) were concerned about not working, while 30% said they were desperate to find work. 
Chris Ball, chief executive of TAEN, said: &amp;quot;There are few barriers to employment experienced by older people so dispiriting as attitudes of age discrimination. While not everyone in the 50+ age group experiences difficulties in seeking suitable work, we believe such problems are widespread. The introduction of legislation outlawing age discrimination in employment has certainly not eradicated it particularly in recruitment, where it is difficult for an individual to prove discrimination and take legal action.&amp;quot;
&amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Tony Hateley Promotion to Shop Floor Services Manager</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=23</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp; 
I am pleased to report the promotion of Tony Hateley to Shop floor Services Manager with immediate effect. 
Tony Hateley joined eResponse during 2005 progressing through the business as an Industrial Recruitment Consultant and Account Manager. 
More recently Tony helped establish new services to clients with specialist requirements in our Engineering sector providing Onsite Services, Temporary Ad Hoc Placements and Permanent Solutions for Supervisory &amp;amp; Management positions. 
Originally from the Automotive and Manufacturing sector, Tonys diverse skill set means he adds another dimension to our existing Management team who have enjoyed continued growth throughout 2008. 
Working from our Redditch office, Tonys remit covers all Skilled on Non-Skilled temporary and permanent assignments across the Shop floor. 
With the support of the existing team, Tony is well positioned to continue with the development of eResponse core services and meet future business aspirations.&amp;amp;nbsp; Paul Alekna - Sales Director]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Interest rate cut is a "Shot in the Arm" for the Economy</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=24</link><description><![CDATA[
A 1.5% cut in interest rates will be a shot in the arm for the UK economy, a financial recruiter has claimed.
Following the Bank of Englands cut yesterday, Uzair Bawany told Recruiter that the move is likely to reduce charges for recruiters which will hopefully improve profit margins.
Bawany said: &amp;quot;From a candidate point of view, it will give a shot in the arm to the economy and boost peoples confidence in looking for jobs. We are starting to see candidates nervous about moving. We are finding it harder to recruit because candidates do not want to move.&amp;quot; 
On figures from the International Monetary fund, which claims that Britain will be hit hardest by the global recession with the economy predicted to contract by 1.3% in 2009, Bawany was equally bullish.
&amp;quot;In terms of the IMF report, they are being extremely negative on the UK. I do not buy that. I think that everyone is aware where we are. They accept that some people will lose their jobs but they will retrain. People are taking lower salaries to move. The UK workforce is extremely flexible. I think we are better placed than the rest of Europe to come out of this.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers Recruiting Less but Paying more for the right Talent!!</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=25</link><description><![CDATA[
Employers are hiring less but are paying more to find the right people, according to a new report.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederations annual Industry Turnover and Key Volumes Survey 2007/08 shows that turnover in the UKs recruitment industry reached a record high of more than &amp;amp;pound;27bn between April 2007 and March 2008.
The report noted a sharp increase in the turnover from permanent placements from &amp;amp;pound;3.514bn to &amp;amp;pound;4.276bn, an increase of 21.7%. The number of permanent placements fell from 787,280 to 726,863, indicating that employers are willing to pay more for the right candidate.&amp;amp;nbsp;Commenting on the results, Kevin Green, chief executive at the REC, said: &amp;quot;The downturn is really putting the skills of professional recruiters to the test but at the same time, this is giving them a real opportunity to shine and show employers what theyre really made of.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>National Apprenticeships</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=26</link><description><![CDATA[
In spite of the recession, the government has announced that around 10,000 apprenticeships are to be created.
The bill which launched the National Apprenticeship Service, announced by skills secretary John Denham and schools secretary Ed Balls, sees the government commit to around 7,000 new apprenticeships in construction, while retailers have also boosted apprenticeship numbers. Sainsburys has recently quadrupled the number of apprentices to 465, Tesco intends to take on a further 800, Superdrug plans a further 1,000 while Phones 4u intends to train at least 1,000 apprentices by next April. 
Denham said: &amp;quot;Its great that private sector employers are making such a commitment to and an investment in their workforce. We need to do the same in the public sector and must ensure that every pound invested by taxpayers not only helps deliver new infrastructure projects but will also help provide the skilled workers needed in the future and enable more people to build a strong career. Apprenticeships are an excellent way to do this.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>MSC legislation</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=27</link><description><![CDATA[
HM Revenue &amp;amp; Customs (HMRC) has issued new guidance on the Managed Service Company (MSC) legislation, and warns that it intends to take action against non-compliant companies. 
HMRC says that where it considers that companies and partnerships otherwise fall within the MSC legislation, but claim not to be MSCs because the provider is an officer/partner of the intermediary, these companies and partnerships are in fact MSCs. &amp;quot;HMRC will now look for suitable cases to investigate and, where appropriate, challenge and litigate.&amp;quot;
The three types of intermediaries identified by HMRC as being potential targets are: the self-employed model where contractors work as sole traders via a specialist company the self-employed model as above but under Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) rules.
Offshore providers
HMRC says the guidance has been issued after it &amp;quot;considered fully&amp;quot; the arguments advanced by various types intermediaries as to why they are not MSCs.
Martin Hesketh, managing director of accountancy, tax advice and financial support services provider Brookson, told Recruiter that the guidance was a clear message that the Revenue was serious at &amp;quot;enforcing the MSC legislation&amp;quot;, including the debt transfer provisions. These could affect agencies, where they were involvedwith non-compliant companies, added Hesketh. 
The guidance is contained on HMRCs website]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Ceridian survey</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=28</link><description><![CDATA[
A new survey shows that one in 10 employees would accept a cut in pay to keep their job.
The survey, from HR services provider Ceridian, also shows that a quarter of respondents would be prepared to have their hours and their pensions contributions axed and one in 10 would take a demotion to avoid redundancy., while 44% of staff would accept an increase in workload. One in three people would voluntarily put in extra hours, which could potentially see employee stress levels soaring. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Minimum wage</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=29</link><description><![CDATA[
The TUC has called for further increase in the national minimum wage. The union has urged the government to raise the minimum wage by 6.5% to more than &amp;amp;pound;6.10 an hour from next October, rising to at least &amp;amp;pound;6.50 by October 2010.
The TUC also says that the adult rate should be payable from the age of 21, while the rate for 18-20-year-olds should eventually be phased out, with the full adult rate paid from age 18, and calls for a series of increases in the rate for 16 and 17-year-olds above the growth in average earnings. This rate should be more than &amp;amp;pound;4 per hour by next October.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber says: &amp;quot;A low minimum wage would not only leave low paid workers - predominantly women - in poverty, but it would also see consumer spending around &amp;amp;pound;250m below where it should be.
&amp;quot;The number of low paid jobs has increased. Setting a decent legal minimum for wages is a vital part of establishing a fairer system of work and fighting poverty. All the signs are that we can afford the &amp;amp;pound;6.10 hourly rate.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Email communication</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=30</link><description><![CDATA[
Nearly a third of workers (30%) now favour communicating face-to-face (facemail) rather than through email, according to new research.
The research, from secretarial recruiter Office Angels, shows that 49% of workers say email is their prime form of communication, but 26% think it is used unnecessarily and 7% say email has had a negative impact on their communication skills.
Over a quarter (26%) admit to spending unnecessary time reading emails, while 15% say that email distracts them from work, while working relationships have suffered for 8% of respondents.
David Clubb, managing director of Office Angels, says: &amp;quot;Office Angels first Facemail day is great excuse for employees to set up meetings with some of those clients they may not have caught up with for a while or for them to demonstrate their excellent customer service skills. Email undoubtedly has benefits, but can often be over relied upon. Office Angels is going back to basics and communicating the old fashioned way and wed encourage your office to do the same.&amp;quot;
&amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Redditch Rugby Team Seal  Victory</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=31</link><description><![CDATA[Redditch 14 &amp;amp;#8211; Coventry Welsh 10&amp;amp;nbsp;The two tightest defences in the league met at the weekend with the Kingfishers coming out on top in a muddy game dominated by the forwards. The win puts Redditch and Harbury five points clear at the top of the table with Redditch still possessing a game in hand.&amp;amp;nbsp;Redditch kicked off with the slope to their advantage and made the most of the play in the first half. Early possession allowed Tom Saddington to slip between two tacklers but he was held up just short of the line by the opposing full back. &amp;amp;nbsp;With the home team dominating possession in the scrums and lineouts a fine break by Graham Sparks helped Redditch score the first points of the game. Sparks found a gap through the lineout on the halfway line and raced deep into the oppositions half only to be tackled by the last defender. Tom Richards was up quickly in support and the Coventry Welsh defenders dived over the top of the ruck to give James Mills the opportunity to score the first three points of the game.&amp;amp;nbsp; &amp;amp;nbsp;The Kingfishers pack continued to press with Coventry Welsh making some fine tackles to keep them in the game. The pressure eventually told and despite most of the play being dominated by forward possession it was Tom Saddington who burrowed over the line after a quick tap penalty from Mills. The conversion was missed leaving the hosts carrying an 8 &amp;amp;#8211; 0 advantage going into the break as the pitch began to deteriorate.&amp;amp;nbsp;In the second period the visitors came out fighting and they scored an early penalty after missing a long range attempt in the first half. Coventry Welsh started to make a lot of the running using their forwards to drive around the ruck area. Redditch held firm with some strong tackling by all members of the pack which played them into a position where they were awarded another penalty to keep them more than a score ahead.&amp;amp;nbsp;In the latter stages of the game the visitors were pressing hard on the Redditch line with the Kingfishers staunch defence absorbing much of the pressure. Some penalties were awarded against the defence in this period, but with no sin bins and little warning the referee awarded Coventry Welsh a penalty try much to the astonishment of both teams.&amp;amp;nbsp;Redditch played the last period without panicking and saw out the game in the Coventry Welsh half. The lead was stretched three points further after Redditch were awarded another penalty in the Welsh half. Mills was allowed to bring his kick ten metres closer to the posts after the opposition hooker continued to contest the decision with the referee. &amp;amp;nbsp;Redditch are in Cup action next week playing against Claverdon in the Fifth round of the national competition. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>10 reasons to be cheerful</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=32</link><description><![CDATA[
10 reasons to be cheerful I recently read an interesting article I was keen to share with all from John Bissell&amp;amp;#8217;s regular column in recruitment international&amp;amp;#8230; We in the UK are being bombarded with stories of gloom and doom from all sides and we are in danger of talking ourselves into a long, serious recession. Here are 10 facts about the economy to cheer you up. 1.) In previous recessions the UK recruitment industry literally fell of a cliff. This time round things are different. Over a Year into the credit crisis recruitment is only very slowly experiencing a slowdown in demand. There is evidence that clients now see recruitment programs as essential when things get tough. 2.) If we look at recessions since the last World War, the largest fall in GDP occurred in the first three months. Indeed, in all cases the fall in the first three months was roughly half of the total fall in GDP. If the current recession follows the same pattern the total fall in GDP will be around 1% and that will make this the mildest recession since the last war. 3.) Manufacturing output actually rose very slightly in October, the first time that has happened in 18 months. 4.) The UK Government has recognised the extent of the threat in our economy and is utilising every tool to minimise damage. In previous recessions Governments tended to deny that there was a problem at all. Recessions are a bit like alcoholics, they can only be cured when the victim recognises they have a problem. 5.) Interest rates are falling fast and as a result LIBOR, the all important rate of interest that banks charge each other, has fallen every week since the first week of October. This is the key rate that determines whether banks are prepared to lend or not. The lower the LIBOR rate the more banks can lend and the lower the cost of borrowing. 6.) Leaders of the Worlds major economies are working together to beat the credit crunch. When the UK, the USA and the European bank cut interest rates simultaneously in October, it was the first time that had happened in history. 7.) The global banking system has begun to settle down again. There is every indication that the worst of the crisis could now be behind us. 8.) The fall in the value of the pound is helping UK exports. 9.) The price of oil fell by 32% in October, the largest single monthly fall since records began. It continues to fall. 10.) Fears of inflation have all but disappeared and public sector unions have moderated their pay demands. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Temping Offers Lifeline</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=33</link><description><![CDATA[Temping offers lifeline to those looking to get back into work 
Research published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) with the support of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) provides an overview of some of the key drivers and trends in temporary agency work from the perspective of the workers themselves. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC and BERR publish joint research on agency work</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=34</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp; 
REC and BERR publish joint research on agency work

Research published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) with the support of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) provides an overview of some of the key drivers and trends in temporary agency work from the perspective of the workers themselves.

The joint report entitled &amp;quot;Temporary Agency Workers in the UK- Understanding Their Role and Expectations&amp;quot; highlights the role that temporary work plays in helping jobseekers back in to the labour market with 63 per cent of temporary workers choosing this form of employment because they were out of work.

As well as providing an income stream, this offers a crucial means of building confidence and enhancing practical workplace skills.

Commenting on the findings, Kevin Green, Chief Executive of the REC, said: &amp;quot;For those who have recently lost their jobs due to the economic downturn, it is crucial to get back into the world of work as quickly as possible and temping is a key means of achieving this. The report also confirms that temporary work offers flexible working options for students and is a valuable means of gaining the kind of practical work experience that will prove vital in an increasingly competitive jobs market.&amp;quot;

Minister for Employment Relations, Pat McFadden, said: &amp;quot;This report shows that agency work is an important part of the labour market both for individual and companies. For some people, it is a short term option to get into the labour market and for others, a longer term way of working that suits their individual circumstances and needs.

&amp;quot;The Government wants to make sure agency work can continue to play a role and also to make sure that agency workers get fair treatment for the work they do.&amp;quot;

The REC/BERR report also provides a useful indicator in terms of overall experience and feedback from temporary workers with two-thirds (68 per cent) of agency workers reporting that they are satisfied with their pay and 84 per cent saying that they were satisfied with their agencies.

Other key results were: 
The survey found that seven per cent of agency workers report some kind of long term disability or illness
36 per cent were working on a temporary basis because they were currently in education
63 per cent of workers chose temporary work because they were unemployed with 28 per cent of those search for temporary work after being unemployed for one week or less
Providing regular work and find the right kind of work were rated as the two most important reasons for agency workers choosing an agency
Two-thirds (68 per cent) of agency workers are satisfied with their pay and 84 per cent were satisfied with their agencies
A third of respondents (33 per cent) are currently looking for permanent work only; another 28 per cent are looking for either permanent or temporary work; 22 per cent are not looking for work and 17 per cent say they are looking solely for temporary work
70 per cent of temporary workers said it was important for the agency they use to be a member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

A copy of the report can be downloaded from the REC website: 
http://www.rec.uk.com/about-recruitment/research/bookshop/Tempagencyworkintheuk]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Firms to maintain recruitment for Support Professionals...</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=35</link><description><![CDATA[
Most firms plan on maintaining or increasing recruitment of business support professionals, according to a new survey.
The 2009 market report, from secretarial and business support recruiter Crone Corkill, shows that 39% of companies plan to increase headcount in 2009.The survey also shows that while general market data is predicting a downturn in temporary hiring overall, legislative changes around flexible working practices should continue to impact on hiring demand.
Tracy Durrant, managing director of Crone Corkill, says: &amp;quot;Maternity leave, for example, is often a big driver of temporary demand.&amp;quot;
&amp;quot;And with maternity and paternity leave rights becoming more generous, we would expect this to be a continuing trend throughout 2009.&amp;quot;Paul Alekna, Director of eResponse says &amp;quot;This survey confirms our current position with placements in our county strong in this sector.&amp;amp;nbsp; We are working closely with companies to assist with reducing their costs by them&amp;amp;nbsp;using temporary staff on a 2 to 3 day per week basis.&amp;amp;nbsp; Our temp staff are enjoying the flexibility of working with two companies per week and thrive on the variety this gives them&amp;quot;.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC CEO responds to PM's Jobs Summit announcement</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=36</link><description><![CDATA[


The REC took part in&amp;amp;nbsp;Gordon Browns jobs summit this week.&amp;amp;nbsp; This high profile meeting with business and union leaders focussed on&amp;amp;nbsp;measures&amp;amp;nbsp; to safeguard jobs&amp;amp;nbsp; during the downturn, including&amp;amp;nbsp;plansto help the long-term unemployed through an incentive for employers to take on and train those who have been out of the labour market for six months.&amp;amp;nbsp;
Commenting after the Prime Ministers announcement, &amp;amp;nbsp;Kevin Green said: 

&amp;quot;The key is to ensure that broad employment strategies actually work on the ground and at a local level. Within this context, the active cooperation between job centres and private sector recruitment agencies will be crucial to ensure that job seekers get the right support and guidance.This is especially true at the high end where specialised recruiters have expert knowledge of their sector and can move people into appropriate new work opportunities quickly.
&amp;quot;Incentivising employers to take on longer-term unemployed may act as a prompt but the key is to ensure that we limit the number of jobseekers falling into that category in the first place - for example, by making the most of the UKs flexible labour market and the opportunities that temporary, contract and interim work can provide. The preventative measure of helping new job seekers access short-term opportunities is as important as the &amp;quot;cure&amp;quot; of incentivising the recruitment of the long-term unemployed.
&amp;quot;We must protect the crucial outlet that temporary and contract work can provide by ensuring the new European rules on agency work are implemented with the least burden to business and as late as possible.Proposed increases in the taxation of temporary work services in some key sectors also needs to be reviewed. This would essentially amount to a tax on jobs costing employers in affected sectors, including financial, healthcare and charity; approximately 390 million at a time when we can least afford it.We have already heard from the CBI today that further redundancies in the financial services sector are expected, the Government should not make this situation worse with negative tax changes at a time when it is pumping millions into incentivising employment.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Agencies 'happy to discriminate'</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=37</link><description><![CDATA[
Letting agents and employment agencies in the west of England are willing to discriminate against ethnic minority groups, a BBC investigation has found. 
Of 30 temping agencies contacted by an Inside Out West researcher, 25 agreed to a request for a receptionist job to be offered only to white workers. 
Seventeen out of 30 letting agencies also agreed to discriminate. 
Industry representatives said the findings were &amp;quot;unacceptable&amp;quot; and they would take action. 
Professor Tariq Modood, of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, said: &amp;quot;Im surprised how many people were willing to go along with a very blatant suggestion of discrimination. 
&amp;quot;Past surveys have tended to suggest maybe a third of people will discriminate and you have found that it is greater than that.&amp;quot; 
Racial motivations 
Posing as a landlord with a two-bedroom house to rent out, the researcher told the letting agents not to show it to anyone from an ethnic minority background. 
A spokeswoman for the Association of Residential Letting Agents, the regulatory body for the industry, said: &amp;quot;A lettings agent simply cannot assist a landlord with refusing a tenant due to racial motivations. 








 We would expect agencies to challenge that kind of discriminatory instruction and to walk away from the business if they had to 

Tom Hadley - Recruitment and Employment Confederation
&amp;quot;Our code of conduct makes it very clear that any form of discrimination is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.&amp;quot; 
The researcher also posed as an employer who wanted a temporary receptionist, but insisted the person had to be white. 
Among those who agreed to the request was one agency worker who said: &amp;quot;Thats fine. You are not allowed to say it but, no, we certainly hear what you say. Thats not a problem.&amp;quot; 
Tom Hadley, of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said: &amp;quot;We would expect agencies within the REC membership to challenge that kind of discriminatory instruction and to walk away from the business if they had to - because that is how seriously we take this particular issue. 
&amp;quot;It shows theres still a lot of work we need to do. We will not tolerate this kind of discriminatory behaviour.&amp;quot; 
The full story features on Inside Out West on BBC One in the West region at 1930GMT on Wednesday. 
]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>MEPs vote to scrap working hours opt-out</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=38</link><description><![CDATA[


The European Parliament voted today to scrap Britains opt-out from the maximum 48-hour working week. A 421-273 vote of MEPs was hailed as a &amp;quot;triumph&amp;quot; as MEPs cheered the result - but months of negotiations with EU governments and the European Commission now follow. 
Most British Labour MEPs backed the call to end the opt-out - clashing with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who wants it to stay. 
At least 14 other EU countries now take advantage of an opt-out, once championed only by Britain as vital to business flexibility. 
With an economic downturn in full swing, more countries want the option of exceeding the 48-hour week - and earlier this week the Commission admitted it had reversed its own opposition to keeping the opt-out because of pressure from so many member states. 
But today MEPs bucked the trend, voting by a bigger margin than expected in favour of a resolution that the opt-out should be gone by 2011. 
It would force employers across Europe to stick to a maximum 48-hour week, averaged over a year. 
The arrangement to average the maximum out provides sufficient short-term scope for bosses and workers to work longer hours if necessary, supporters of the ban argued.But opponents said it should not be up to the EU to determine the working patterns of very different employment cultures in the member states. 
Tory MEP Philip Bushill-Matthews said after the vote: &amp;quot;Socialist MEPs have won the battle today, but they must not be allowed to win the war.&amp;quot;The British Government must dig in and defend the opt-out. Fifteen EU nations now take advantage of the flexibility provided by the opt-out and none of them should back down.&amp;quot; 
He went on: &amp;quot;It should never be the place of the European Parliament to tell people they cannot work - particularly during a downturn. Scrapping our working time opt-out is even more nonsensical in todays economic climate than ever before. 
&amp;quot;This is a double failure of Gordon Brown. Not only has he failed to control his MEPs, but he also naively signed up to a package deal that saw Britain give ground on the Agency Workers Directive in exchange for our working time opt-out. 
&amp;quot;His folly was to assume the Left in the European Parliament would not sabotage the deal. British businesses have been given two damaging pieces of employment legislation for the price of one.&amp;quot; 
The British Chambers of Commerce (BBCC) condemned the outcome as &amp;quot;foolish&amp;quot;. 
BBCC director-general David Frost, speaking just before the vote, said: &amp;quot;MEPs would be foolish to try and end the UKs working time opt-out, especially during a painful recession. 
&amp;quot;The opt-out provides the essential flexibility that many businesses and their employees are relying on to get through this downturn.&amp;quot; 
Source the Independent]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC unites largest recruiters for the first time to challenge government on proposed &amp;quot;tax on jobs&amp;quot;</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=39</link><description><![CDATA[
The REC has today underlined the strength of feeling within the recruitment industry against the proposed removal of the VAT staff hire concession with a hard-hitting letter and editorial in the Financial Times co-signed by eight of its&amp;amp;nbsp;largest&amp;amp;nbsp;members, which describes the change as &amp;quot;an additional tax on jobs&amp;quot;.&amp;amp;nbsp; 
To show the government the unequivocal opposition against the removal of the concession&amp;amp;nbsp;on April 1&amp;amp;nbsp;this year, the REC called on the support of major REC members as co-signatories to an FT letter whose headline is &amp;quot;Removal of VAT concession will hit number of temporary jobs&amp;quot;.
Adding their support to the RECs campaign have been Hayes, Michael Page International, Adecco UK, Manpower UK, Reed, Impellam, Pertemps and Randstad.&amp;amp;nbsp;
This is the first time&amp;amp;nbsp;since the formation of the REC&amp;amp;nbsp;in 2000 &amp;amp;nbsp;that&amp;amp;nbsp; larger members have demonstrated their commitment to a major campaign we have mounted to ensure that all members are given the best possible opportunities to get through the economic downturn without additional burdens from government.&amp;amp;nbsp;
The letter stresses the huge implications the withdrawal of the concession will have on the supply of temporary staff to key sectors such as financial services, healthcare, education and charities with the additional VAT chargeable from April 1 estimated at &amp;amp;pound;390 million.&amp;amp;nbsp;
&amp;quot;We are calling on the government to delay the withdrawal of this concession until 2011 at the earliest,&amp;quot; the letter states.&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;quot;By this time, the economy should be recovering and the impact mitigated. This is a real test of the governments commitment to helping workers and businesses at this difficult time,&amp;quot; it concludes.&amp;amp;nbsp;
The RECs Chief Executive Kevin Green added: &amp;quot;With this tax change, the government is giving with one hand and taking with the other. Last weeks jobs summit promised to get more people back in work but if the VAT costs on temporary care workers, lecturers and financial analysts soar in April, job cuts will have to be made.&amp;quot;&amp;amp;nbsp;
The letter has also received the support of the CBI whose deputy director-general John Cridland said that they did not believe it was appropriate to levy what amounted to a new tax on jobs during the current economic climate and steep rise in unemployment.
Employment Correspondent&amp;amp;nbsp;Andrew Taylor who wrote the editorial will be highlighting the issue in his recruitment column in Thursdays edition of the FT.&amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Jobs market &amp;lsquo;will grow in long term&amp;lsquo;</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=40</link><description><![CDATA[
The UK jobs market will grow in the long term despite the current economic downturn, according to a new report published the 19th January 2009.The Working Futures report, by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, predicts a total of 13.5 million job openings between now and 2017, two million of which will be new.Jobs growth in the computing and service sector will be particularly strong, while an increase in opportunities is also expected in the distribution and transport sectors. The 2012 Olympics is expected to create up to 170,000 jobs in the long term, according to the report.Skills secretary John Denham welcomed the findings.&amp;quot;In the short term we are making sure that people who lose their jobs have access to the real help they need. But we must not lose sight of the future needs of our economy and do all we can to help people get the secure career jobs they want and need in the industries where growth will be the strongest in the coming years,&amp;quot; he said.Denham added that the government was working to &amp;quot;reform the skills system&amp;quot; to help bring together employers, training providers and unions to tackle any job shortages.The report came as a new economic forecast predicted that unemployment will rise to 3.25 million by the end of 2010. Ahead of the publication of official figures later this week, the Ernst &amp;amp; Young Item Club forecast that the next year will see the largest contraction of GDP since 1946. It also warned that without additional government intervention a deep recession could evolve into a depression. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Flexibility measures to go ahead despite economic gloom</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=41</link><description><![CDATA[
Recent reports suggested that Peter Mandelson, secretary of state for business, was looking to delay the extension of the existing flexible working regime.Looks like he failed with this one!!! 

An extra 4.5 million people will be given the right to request flexible working from their employers, despite business fears over the economy, from April 2009 
Parents of children aged up to 16 will be given the right to request flexible working from their employers, despite business fears over the economy, the government has confirmed.The measures, which will enable an extra 4.5 million people to access arrangements such as part-time working or amended hours, will come into force next April. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>What can we expect from Europe in 2009?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=42</link><description><![CDATA[
The Czech Republic has taken over where France left off and now holds the presidency of Europe for the first six months of 2009. 
Making sense of presidential plans and identifying intended action is like doing a jigsaw - all too often you are staring at the wrong piece. The Czech presidency will focus, in the employment and social field, on four areas, with their intended actions as follows:&amp;amp;#8226; Workers mobility in the EU labour market&amp;amp;nbsp;- finish modernising legislation on the coordination of migrant workers social security;-&amp;amp;nbsp;focus on measures that will reduce illegal work and the informal or grey economy;-&amp;amp;nbsp;raise awareness of mobility within the EU (sharing examples of good practices in removing obstacles, such as language barriers, etc);-&amp;amp;nbsp;draw attention to the adverse impacts of existing transitional measures on the free movement of workers.

So what will the Czech presidency actually do in the social and employment area and what will this mean to HR professionals grappling with redundancy programmes in 2009? The outstanding issue is the need to broker a compromise with the European Parliament on the working time directive. It will need to be a compromise as the proposal is subject to the conciliation procedure. This is a hangover from the French presidency, where the European Parliament voted to end the UK opt-out. This will be a difficult negotiation and the pressure on the Czech presidency from other member states (such as the UK) will be high. The second area of concern is likely to be modernising labour law. In a recession, Europe, with entrenched social partner institutions, is only likely to go in one direction when it comes to labour law modernisation. And flexibility is not in that direction.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>The truth about office arguments and why we all love them</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=43</link><description><![CDATA[
&amp;quot;Conflict between two members of your team is one of the most difficult situations you have to deal with as a team leader. The most important thing to do when problems arise is to deal with them as quickly as possible&amp;quot;.Rubbish! The most important thing is to sit back and enjoy the show! 
And frankly, if you are a team leader and theres no conflict, your key duty is to create some.Because, in the real world, theres few things that make work more worthwhile than a box seat watching two colleagues going at each other hammer at tongs. Especially when theyre fighting over an issue which is core to the corporate vision - for example the problem of &amp;quot;Why did you borrow my calculator without asking?&amp;quot; Now, from the outside, borrowing a calculator to work out how many minutes there are to go before you can slink off to the pub doesnt seem such a big deal - the infernal machine is company property and 30 seconds use of an A4 battery isnt exactly grand larceny, is it?But, do it in a &amp;quot;highly-motivated, team-based work environment&amp;quot; and its a crime that makes Robert Maxwell seem as if he merely stole a penny from the guy. The best are the ones that erupt from nowhere, especially when they escalate from a standing start to a stand up row in about five seconds. As the flood of abuse really gets flowing, the rest of us hang our heads pretending not to hear a word - while committing every single one to memory to feed into the office gossip machine which will get the news around the entire company before you can say &amp;quot;lets keep this quiet, shall we?&amp;quot; As Brian, the quiet one from finance who has spent his entire career finding bushes and then gently beating round them, shouts, swears and storms around the office, clearly having forgotten the finer points of negotiation, a terrible urge to titter sweeps round the room - and grown men grimace with the effort of subduing their snorting while the ladies have to cling to each other for physical support.Its at this point that management reveals true leadership. As Brian really loses it and begins to beat his oppo vigorously around the bonce with a stapler while fending off potentially lethal retaliatory thrusts from a plastic ruler, the Head of Department saunters in and immediately sums up the situation.&amp;quot;Is there a problem?&amp;quot; he asks, at a swoop demonstrating superb insight and fully justifying his free parking space for the next decade, before backing out of the room nervously with the first twinge of the Executive Stress which will require at least three days off playing golf to cure.Funnily enough, most of the time theres a happy ending. The two protagonists generally form a bond for life, everyone else has had a great time and the office gossip machine has enough fuel to keep running for months - and its better for team building than anything!

Would you like to share a story!!! If so send them to our news team at eResponse.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Good and timely questions to ask during an interview</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=44</link><description><![CDATA[
An interview is a two-way street. It is always tricky, especially at the end of a job interview, when the interviewer has asked all pre-determined questions and now turns to you and says &amp;quot;Is there anything youd like to ask me?&amp;quot; The employers should always provide such an opportunity for a change of roles. That is why, always plan of some specific questions to ask. Having nothing prepared sends the message that you dont have an independent thought process. There is no greater turn-off than a candidate who says &amp;quot;No. I think youve answered all my questions.&amp;quot; This shows a lack of curiosity and employers are not looking for uncurious people. Even though some of your question can be answered during the process of the interview, you can always state something to the effect that you were interested in knowing about, but that has already been addressed during the interview. Also, you can ask for additional clarification if the situation allows you to. Another great turn-off for the interviewers are untimely questions related to benefits and salary issues as those should be brought up only by the employer. Prioritization of the remuneration package speaks badly about the candidate. Here are several ideas of interesting questions to ask. However, make sure that you are really concerned about this information as the opposite will be obvious to the employer. &amp;amp;nbsp;Can you describe an ideal employee? &amp;amp;nbsp;What kind of work can I expect to be doing the first year? What are some of the skills and abilities necessary for someone to succeed in this job? &amp;amp;nbsp;Who will review my performance? How often? &amp;amp;nbsp;Could you describe your companys management style and the type of employee who fits well with it? &amp;amp;nbsp;How much opportunity will I have for decision-making in my first assignment? As for the employers, what you need to remember is that looking for a job is like shopping for shoes &amp;amp;#8211; you are looking for the pair that will best fit you, not the one that first catches your eye. This is where good and timely questions can help you sift the pool of &amp;quot;appealing&amp;quot; candidates]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Guess the moral of the story!!</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=45</link><description><![CDATA[
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. After a few seconds of arguing over which one&amp;amp;nbsp; should go and answer the doorbell, the wife gives up, quickly wraps herself up&amp;amp;nbsp; in a towel and runs downstairs. 
When she opens the door, there stands Bob the&amp;amp;nbsp; next door neighbour. Before she says a word, Bob says, &amp;quot;Ill give you &amp;amp;pound;800 to&amp;amp;nbsp; drop that towel that you have on&amp;quot;
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops&amp;amp;nbsp; her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her&amp;amp;nbsp; &amp;amp;pound;800 and leaves.
Confused, but excited about her good fortune,&amp;amp;nbsp; the woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets back&amp;amp;nbsp; to the bathroom, her husband asks from the shower,
&amp;quot;Who was that?&amp;quot;&amp;quot;It was Bob&amp;amp;nbsp; the next door neighbour,&amp;quot; she replies.&amp;quot;Great,&amp;quot; the&amp;amp;nbsp; husband says, did he say anything about the &amp;amp;pound;800 he owes me?&amp;quot;
Moral of the&amp;amp;nbsp; story:If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk in time with your stakeholders, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

An inter-office football match was held every year between the Marketing and IT teams of one company. The IT team beat the Marketing Department easily. To show just how the Marketing Department earns their keep, they posted a memo on the bulletin board after the game: - The Marketing Department is pleased to announce that for the 2005 Football Season, we finished in 2nd place, having lost but one game all year. The IT Boys, however, had a rather dismal season, as they won only one game this entire season]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Monster: One in four workers lie in interviews</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=46</link><description><![CDATA[
Around a quarter of British workers have lied at interview, according to a Monster poll.
According to the poll, 28% of workers admitted lying in a job interview, with a further 14% stretching the truth in the hope of appearing better qualified for a job. However, most people have remained honest, with 58% of those surveyed claiming that they have never lied or been economical with the truth to secure a job.
Julian Acquari, managing director at Monster UK and Ireland, says: &amp;quot;Todays tough job market understandably heightens the temptation for jobseekers to lie in interviews. Competition is fierce and we are aware of the increased need to stand out.
&amp;quot;However, there is a fine line between embellishing facts about yourself and telling lies. It is never advisable to bend the truth under any circumstances as it is likely to catch up with you. At the end of the day honesty is always the best policy.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC Lobbying Wins on training rights for temps</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=47</link><description><![CDATA[
The Government has announced that its new proposals to give employees a right to request time off to train would not be extended to agency workers. At one stage, it was thought that temps who are employees of their agency could be caught which would have created substantial administrative problems for the industry.
This is an important lobbying win and comes after several months of dialogue between the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Commenting on the change of heart, Judith Armatage, the RECs Director of Professional Development said: &amp;quot;The REC fully supports wide access to training for temps. Indeed a focus for our work this year will be highlighting to our members how they can access funding for training temps. However we are pleased that the Government took on board our argument and that it was not practical or even logical to extend the right to request time off to train to the temporary workforce. 
&amp;quot;People choose to temp precisely because it is flexible and allows students and those completing professional qualifications the time needed to complete their studies. Enshrining this as a right would not make sense as temporary workers are already able to adapt their schedule to fit their specific needs.&amp;quot;
The REC will now be working with the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills to ensure that temps can maximise their training opportunities.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Unemployment Exceeds 2 Million.  REC Chief Executive comments...</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=48</link><description><![CDATA[
&amp;amp;nbsp;
Following the announcement from the Office for National Statistics that the unemployment figure has exceeded the two million mark, Kevin Green, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) comments:

&amp;quot;As the jobs market contracts, we need to make sure every job opportunity is maximised. As part of this, the REC is currently working with the Government to ensure that temporary, interim and contract positions are utilised as a method of getting people into work. Even in the current climate, there are over a million temporary assignments taking place every week. 

&amp;quot;Feedback from recruiters confirms that a greater proportion of job-seekers in this recession are looking for higher-end positions.&amp;amp;nbsp; It is crucial that the right support is provided to these job-seekers which is why the private sector recruitment industry, and the specialist agencies, will be working in increasingly close cooperation with Jobcentre Plus.

&amp;quot;It is equally important to address barriers to job creation. An urgent priority is to delay measures due to come into force next month which would add VAT to the provision of temporary staff in a number of key sectors, putting&amp;amp;nbsp; around 150,000 temporary jobs at risk. Postponing the removal of the existing concession would enable employers and agencies to find ways to deal with the change in a way that will not jeopardise these jobs in this crucial time for the UK labour market.&amp;quot;

Analysing the latest ONS figures John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) finds that these are the most doleful set of jobs figures since the start of the recession and highlights the groups, sectors and regions that have so far borne the brunt of the jobs downturn.

Dr Philpott comments as follows:

Overall labour market situation and outlook

&amp;quot;These are the most doleful set of UK labour market figures since the start of the recession. Not only is unemployment back to where it was in 1997 but it now looks as though we are heading towards the worst outlook for jobs in the UKs post-war history. Full employment is not just slipping away,it is sinking without trace.

&amp;quot;The rise in the headline level of unemployment above 2 million is only part of the sorry story. Much more alarming is a surge in claimant unemployment in February &amp;amp;#8211; the monthly increase of 138,000 in the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance surpasses even the darkest days of rising unemployment in previous recessions. The surge was driven by a flood of new claimants, reflecting todays other ONS statistics showing that firms cut almost a quarter of a million employees (248,000) in the final three months of 2008 and made 266,000 people redundant in the three months ending in January 2009. 

&amp;quot;The only bright spots in the figures are increasing part-time employment and temporary working, which people are turning to as an alternative to the dole, and self-employment, though CIPD soundings suggest that this might reflect a noticeable tendency of some firms to cut in-house services and instead contract former employees to supply the same services as external suppliers. 


Sector impact

&amp;quot;The impact of the recession on jobs is fairly broadly based across the private sector. In proportionate terms the big losers according to the latest ONS figures are finance and business services, closely followed by manufacturing, with shops, hotels and restaurants another sector being hard hit. These sectors are at the forefront of a slump in job vacancies as well as redundancies.

&amp;quot;As the CIPD expected, the latest figures show that the private sector is bearing all the pain of the recession, with employment in the public sector continuing to rise and public sector pay running away from that in the private sector. In the year to January, pay rises for public employees were rising at 4% (including bonuses) compared with just 1.4% for employees in the private sector and 1.8% for the economy as a whole. &amp;amp;nbsp; 

Gender impact

&amp;quot;As has been the case so far during the jobs downturn, men are being hit much harder than women, whether one looks at job prospects, redundancies or unemployment.

Age impact

&amp;quot;The recession is having a far bigger impact on employment for young people aged under-25, with older people now protected by anti-age discrimination laws and employers far less willing than in previous recessions to meet the pension liabilities associated with allowing older staff to take early retirement. 

&amp;quot;However, the age-impact of the recession looks different if one instead looks at unemployment. As the downturn bites, more young people seem to be turning to education as an alternative to joblessness. Older people meanwhile, although more likely to keep their jobs in the downturn, are finding it harder to get jobs if they do end up unemployed.

Regional impact

&amp;quot;Compared with previous recessions, this jobs downturn looks far more broadly based in its regional impact. Different regions are experiencing their own monthly ups and downs but overall this is a &amp;quot;were all in it together&amp;quot; recession with no obvious North-South divide so far.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Need a story to reassure you in these recessionary times?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=50</link><description><![CDATA[
Try this. In the Great Depression of the 1930s, US oil company Texaco was looking for a way to boost business. At the time, no single oil business stood out and Texaco wanted to change that. So they asked designer Walter Teague to develop a new kind of service station. His striking response combined modernist lines with white porcelain-clad walls, canopied pumps, service bays and rest rooms. The new gas stations also had plate glass displays for products like tyres and batteries, making the most of alternative revenue potential in hard times. And, of course, each was crowned with the distinctive red Texaco star. The template was set and some 500 of these art deco icons would appear across the US by 1940, cementing the brand in the popular imagination.The moral of the story appears to be that if you invest in your brand, returns will follow even in tough times. There are more recent examples. Apples iPod (a risky brand extension) and the pioneering MTV channel (a whole new brand experience) were both launched in downturns. And while airlines licked their wounds in the post-9/11 slump, Virgin Atlantic invested in developing the Upper Class offering thats now a marketleader and the spearhead of its brand. 
Your brand doesnt start with your logo, but with understanding what you offer and whatmakes you unique 
Branding isnt the preserve of marketing, HR or the MD. It should involve the wholebusiness 
Establishing the basis of your brand is notexpensive 
The more your staff feel they own and understand your brand, the better theyll be at projecting it to clients and candidates 
Good branding helps attract staff as well as customers]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Does anyone have these problems with casual day?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=52</link><description><![CDATA[
Changed HR policies 
Casual Fridays:Week 1 - Memo No. 1Effective this week, the company is adopting Fridays as Casual Day. Employees are free to dress in the casual attire of their choice.Week 3 - Memo No. 2Spandex and leather micro-miniskirts are not appropriate attire for Casual Day. Neither are string ties, rodeo belt buckles or moccasins. Week 6 - Memo No. 3Casual Day refers to dress only, not attitude. When planning Fridays wardrobe, remember image is a key to our success. Week 8 - Memo No. 4A seminar on how to dress for Casual Day will be held at 4 p.m. Friday in the cafeteria. A fashion show will follow. Attendance is mandatory. Week 9 - Memo No. 5As an outgrowth of Fridays seminar, a 14-member Casual Day Task Force has been appointed to prepare guidelines for proper casual-day dress.Week 14 - Memo No. 6The Casual Day Task Force has now completed a 30-page manual entitled &amp;quot;Relaxing Dress Without Relaxing Company Standards.&amp;quot; A copy has been distributed to every employee. Please review the chapter &amp;quot;You Are What You Wear&amp;quot; and consult the &amp;quot;home casual&amp;quot; versus &amp;quot;business casual&amp;quot; checklist before leaving for work each Friday. If you have doubts about the appropriateness of an item of clothing, contact your CDTF representative before 7 a.m. on Friday.Week 18 - Memo No. 7Our Employee Assistant Plan (EAP) has now been expanded to provide support for psychological counseling for employees who may be having difficulty adjusting to Casual Day.Week 20 - Memo No. 8Due to budget cuts in the HR Department we are no longer able to effectively support or manage Casual Day. Casual Day will be discontinued, effective immediately.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Does Facebook effect your chances of success in an interview?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=51</link><description><![CDATA[
New research has shown that interviewers in the UK are least likely to check the social networking pages of their candidates.A study conducted by DDI, revealed that 12 per cent of interviewers claim they would look on a jobseekers Facebook or MySpace profile, while Germans are twice as likely to.It was also discovered that candidates do not consider what they write on their social networking sites as less than a third think this will affect their chances of securing a position.Steve Newhall, vice president for Europe at DDI, said: &amp;quot;It appears that jobseekers are quite na&amp;amp;iuml;ve about how personal information on social networking sites is used.&amp;quot;He added that &amp;quot;interviewers should also realise that much of what is put there is for fun&amp;quot;.Closer to home, a spokesperson for ClickAJob points out that if employers are not checking Facebook, it is a lost opportunity of their own making.&amp;quot;By banning or restricting access to social networking at work, they have stomped on their own progress,&amp;quot; he says.&amp;quot;Facebook and Twitter are not toys, they are business tools as significant as phones or fax machines were when they were introduced.&amp;quot;&amp;quot;And look at what many employers are missing - with its highly personal focus, social networking is particularly useful in assessing likely motivation and people fit,&amp;quot; he continues.&amp;quot;If interviewers pass up the chance to see inside applicants heads, they should not be surprised if their candidate choices are increasingly second-best.&amp;quot;Earlier this month, Kimberley Swann, an administrator in Clacton, Essex, was sacked for describing her job as boring on her Facebook profile page.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>On a light note to finish.....</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=53</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp;After an intense high speed chase, an officer finally gets the lawbreaker to pull over.&amp;quot;You know,&amp;quot; says the policeman, &amp;quot;I was originally pulling you over to tell you your taillight is out. Why the hell did you take off like that?&amp;quot;&amp;quot;Last week my wife ran off with a policeman, and I was afraid you were trying to give her back.&amp;quot; 

There may not be a newsletter next week as the editor of this is attending a speed awareness programme after been caught speeding (35mph) on the Studley road. Will tell you more next time.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>eResponse Staff take the plunge for charity</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=54</link><description><![CDATA[
WORKERS at a Redditch recruitment firm are preparing to take the plunge and jump out of a plane in the name of charity. 
A group of employees from eResponse Recruitment, based on Unicorn Hill, will be taking part in the daring skydive this June to raise money for three charities; Breast Cancer Care, Orchid Male Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer UK. 
&amp;quot;The company raises money for lots of different causes and we think its important to try and help as much as we can,&amp;quot; said recruitment director Joe Alekna. 
&amp;quot;We are all getting excited about it and even though there are a few nervous people here were looking forward to raising money while having fun along the way.&amp;quot; 
As part of the fundraising efforts, the firm is holding a disco at the White Hart function room in Headless Cross on Friday, April 24 from 7.30pm costing &amp;amp;pound;10 per person. 
To book tickets, call 66688]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>The important role agency work plays in the current climate.</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=55</link><description><![CDATA[
This weeks Czech Presidency conference in Prague on &amp;quot;Implementing flexicurity in times of crisis&amp;quot; will highlight the role that agency work can play in managing the crisis and driving competitiveness. 

Even though the number of agency workers has decreased over the last months, the agency work industry continues to create jobs that otherwise would not exist. There are currently more than 3 million agency workers employed in Europe (in daily full time equivalent basis), representing around 10 million people entering or re-entering the labour market through temporary assignments on a yearly basis. 

Agency work can play a key role in limiting the negative impacts of the economic crisis by:
Enhancing competitiveness by creating positive conditions for economic sustainability, thereby securing permanent jobs; 
Facilitating the transition between unemployment and work; 
Providing a flexible form of labour that allows more people to enter the labour market; 
Enhances the employability of workers through training and investment; 
Effectively matches supply to demand in the workplace. 

&amp;quot;In times of economic crisis, governments should take advantage of the contribution of agency work to better functioning labour markets,&amp;quot; said Eurociett president Annemarie Muntz. &amp;quot;Agency work embodies the principle of flexicurity &amp;amp;#8211; as a highly regulated industry, we provide both flexibility and work security to people and companies. Our industry should have full access to governmental programmes and subsidies established in the framework of active labour market policies. Furthermore, the level of regulation on agency work should be adapted (e.g. by lifting the ban on the use of agency work in the Public Sector in Spain) in order to unlock the industrys contribution to facilitating transitions in the labour market and to prepare the ground for an improved job-creating economic recovery.&amp;quot;

Annemarie Muntzs comments echo the recent OECD report, &amp;quot;Going for Growth released on 3rd March 2009, which states the debacle in financial markets should not call into question the beneficial effects of recommended reforms of product and labour markets. 

&amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Online job opportunities increase</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=56</link><description><![CDATA[

The rise in online job opportunities for skilled sales staff has increased the confidence in staffing firms within the sector, despite clients tightening their budgets

Skilled sales specialists are still hot properties on the job market, despite the difficult economic conditions.The latest Monster Employment Index reflects this fact, as online job availability in the sales sector increased by four index points in February, the first rise in opportunities for sales workers in seven months.Hugo Sellert, head of economic research at Monster Worldwide, said: &amp;quot;The sales sector has experienced a slight seasonal upturn in line with the overall index in February. However, the longer-term trends remain negative, as indicated by the sharp drop in the number of jobs available compared to a year ago, which can be linked to a struggle in the retail industry across the UK.&amp;quot;Although job availability in the sector has contracted 46% yearon- year, which is one of the most significant drops throughout all sectors, recruiters suggested that recent weeks had seen business improve, prompting increased confidence among staffing firms.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Check out these expenses.</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=57</link><description><![CDATA[Our local MP the Home Secretary isnt the only one to splash out on excessive luxuries using taxpayers money. Check out these eye-watering examples of crazy spending by Britains MPs...&amp;amp;nbsp; 
1) &amp;amp;pound;6,500 for gardeningGreen-fingered former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett was caught red-handed when it was revealed that she had spent more than &amp;amp;pound;6,500 in allowances for gardening at her constituency home in Derby. This included bills for pruning shrubs, trimming the hedges and for dismantling and rebuilding a rockery. In 2006 she also tried to claim &amp;amp;pound;600 in costs for her garden plants, but the receipt was rejected.
2) Window cleaning billsIf only her spending policy could have been as clean. Equalities minister Barbara Follet used her expenses to pay several bills, including more than &amp;amp;pound;1,600 for window cleaning, which were actually addressed to her husband millionaire author husband Ken Follett. The windows were shined 18 times during 2003-04 at a cost of &amp;amp;pound;94 a pop.
3) A second home &amp;amp;#8211; where his parents livedGovernment Minister Tony McNulty looked like a bit of a mummys boy when it was revealed he spent &amp;amp;pound;60,000 worth of allowances on a second home where his parents lived. Even worse, the residence was only nine miles away from his own home.
4) A bed and mattressA Lib Dem MP who quit his post over a sex scandal involving male prostitutes raised eyebrows when it was revealed he had bought bedroom furniture using his Parliamentary allowances. Mark Oaten spent &amp;amp;pound;244 on a new bunk bed and mattress. He also bought other household items.
5) &amp;amp;pound;6,700 on house decorations&amp;quot;Mock Tudor&amp;quot; decorations might not be the first thing that come to mind when you think of John Prezza Prescott, but the Northern lad was revealed to have spent a pretty penny sprucing up his historic house in Hull. It included mock Tudor panels and a lavish fireplace.
6) A bus
Sick of car and rail travel, Euro MP Ashley Mote came up with a unique way to visit his constituents: in a &amp;amp;pound;9,000 single-decker bus. Mr Mote, who had previously been handed down a nine-month jail sentence for benefit fraud, claimed he needed the vehicle to travel across eight countries, but it was deemed an &amp;quot;inappropriate&amp;quot; use of public funds and he was ordered to pay the cost back.
7) A flat&amp;amp;nbsp;- and life insurance
With the nickname &amp;quot;Mr and Mrs Expenses&amp;quot; you knew it was going to be bad: Husband and wife MP duo Alan and Ann Keen take the (cash) prize when it comes to spending taxpayers dosh, splashing out &amp;amp;pound;175,000 on a second homes allowance to buy a plush pad on the South Bank of the Thames &amp;amp;#8211; despite owning a home in Brentford, West London, which is only 30 minutes away by car. Ann also took out a joint life insurance policy worth &amp;amp;pound;430,000 and claimed back the &amp;amp;pound;867.57 a month premiums on her expenses.
8) A quad bike
Tory David Maclean dipped into the public purse to take &amp;amp;pound;3,300 for the state-of-the-art vehicle, which he claimed was necessary to get around his large rural Cumbrian constituency. He was also the man behind a failed bid to exempt MPs and peers from Freedom of Information laws that requires public figures to reveal their expenses.
9) &amp;amp;pound;80,000 on wages for his researcher sons
Most students have to tighten their purse strings when they head to university. Not Derek Conways boys. The MP paid his cherished sons, Henry and Freddie, a whopping &amp;amp;pound;80,000 for acting as his researchers. Conway was ordered to pay back &amp;amp;pound;13,160 after an enquiry found no evidence that Freddie did any research work for his father. He was ordered to cough up around &amp;amp;pound;3,700 for Henry. Conway was suspended from the Conservative Party in 2008 after it was revealed he has spent more than &amp;amp;pound;260,000 to members of his immediate family over a six-year period.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Funny Adverts</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=58</link><description><![CDATA[
Tired of working for only &amp;amp;pound;9.75 per hour? We offer profit sharing and flexible hours. Starting pay: &amp;amp;pound;7 to&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;pound;9 per hour.Four-posted bed, 101 years old. Perfect for antique lover. 
Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel. 
Three-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred.
Wanted. Widower with school-age children requires person to assume general housekeeping duties. Must be capable of contributing to growth of family.
Joining nudist colony! Must sell washer and dryer &amp;amp;pound;300.
Open house body shapers toning salon. Free coffee and donuts
Free puppies: ½ cocker spaniel, ½ sneaky neighbors dog.
Cows, calves never bred&amp;amp;#8230;also 1 gay bull for sale.
Nice Parachute &amp;amp;#8211; Never opened. Used once.&amp;amp;nbsp; (Not to be purchased for the eResponse skydiving!!)
&amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>What can I do to ensure a promotion?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=59</link><description><![CDATA[

Wanting to progress your career is natural, but actually doing so can be a tricky business. Many people take the default position that getting a better job means changing employer, but there are often great opportunities for progression with&amp;amp;nbsp; your&amp;amp;nbsp;existing employer, and not just in the part of the company you currently work in. 
If youre working a small company, chances are youll know pretty much what everyones doing and whos heading where. In larger companies, theres likely to be a lot going on elsewhere that you may not know about, especially in other departments. Its well worth keeping an eye on internal newsletters or notice boards, as well as refining your internal networking techniques. 
Getting noticed by your superiors Make a habit of getting into work early, and try to be the last out. In some organisations, this could mean taking in a sleeping bag, but dont overdo it. Just let your bosses know that youre on the money and not one of those who always seem to be looking for an easy ride. 
You may want to copy some high level people in on an email early in the morning or late at night to emphasise the hours youre putting in. You may have to be careful how you manage this if your company pays overtime. Dont make it look as if youre just stretching your day out to boost your earnings. 
Make an effort to really enjoy your job, and let others know you do as well. To further enhance your prospects, build a reputation as someone who is always positive and good to be around. Be the first to volunteer for any tasks, whether work-related or social, like helping organise the office Christmas party or summer outing. 
Always be prepared to do a bit more than is expected of you or is in your job description. However, if you do take on extra tasks or responsibilities, dont over-promise and keep your head down until you have successfully completed the task. There are no prizes for loud-mouthing and then failing to deliver. As a general rule you should always under-promise and over-deliver. 
Pay attention to how you present yourself. Look at what your superiors are wearing, and go for something similar. Dont however make it too obvious by copying a trademark item of your bosss clothing. Look the part, and make it easy for them to see you working on the next tier of management. 
Building a case Although you wont usually have to present your bosses with a CV in order to gain a promotion, having some documented evidence of what youve achieved will be a major bonus. Keep a record of everything you do that is successful and look at the records of your predecessors and colleagues in similar roles. If youre performing better than them, let your boss know about it, but dont put-down your colleagues or wind them up. It may come back to haunt you. 
Get on all the relevant training courses, and look around for other ways to enhance your profile. Make time to read the trade journals and share your knowledge with colleagues. Consider evening classes for specialist skill areas where training is not provided by your employer, like accountancy classes, advanced computer skills, or perhaps a formal business qualification like a diploma or MBA. 
Managing former peers If you land the promotion you were after, theres a good chance youll find yourself managing your former co-workers. Its a tough situation and requires sensitivity and tact in large measure. This is where many newly-promoted people fail, and find that they have to move back to their former position once their trial period has finished. Thats an experience you definitely want to avoid. 
Never be afraid to ask your boss for guidance on how to handle these situations, and make sure you communicate clearly with your former equivalents and juniors. Use your common sense and think how you would like to be dealt with in a similar situation. Dont let any simmering resentments explode into full blown conflict. If people have an issue with your new position, deal with it. 
Learn to see what inspires and motivates your staff and concentrate on that. Its the best way to build a loyal team and to meet your management objectives. Dont play the big I am the minute you get promoted. Equally, avoid being too chummy with your new team. You are not there to be friends; youre there to do a job. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Charity Fundraiser</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=60</link><description><![CDATA[eResponse would like to take this oportunity to thank all the people that came to support us on Friday (24th April 09) to help us raise money for our 3 charities &amp;quot;Breast Cancer&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;Pancreatic Cancer&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Orchid Male Cancer&amp;quot;.&amp;amp;nbsp; It was a fantastic night, we had a good turn out of people and raised over &amp;amp;pound;800 through ticket sales and a raffle.&amp;amp;nbsp; The fundraising didnt stop there either!! The team at eResponse were up nice and early the following day&amp;amp;nbsp;to continue their fundraising campaign&amp;amp;nbsp;and spent the day at Bromsgrove Fire Station washing cars.&amp;amp;nbsp; Again this was a great success which raised us &amp;amp;pound;400.A massive thank you to all that took part over the weekend.&amp;amp;nbsp; It was a great result and big success!!Joe Alekna]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>New National Minimum Wage rate confirmed.</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=61</link><description><![CDATA[
The national minimum wage is to increase by 7p to &amp;amp;pound;5.80 an hour.
The new rate for workers aged 22 and over will come into effect in October, the Government has announced.
The rate for 18 to 21-year-olds will rise from &amp;amp;pound;4.77 to &amp;amp;pound;4.83, while for 16 and 17-year-olds, the statutory rate will go up to &amp;amp;pound;3.57 an hour from &amp;amp;pound;3.53.
The Government said almost one million people will benefit from the increase after it approved recommendations from the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC).
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: &amp;quot;The national minimum wage has been in place for 10 years and remains one of the most important rights for workers introduced in that time.&amp;quot;
George Bain, chairman of the LPC, said: &amp;quot;These are very challenging times for the UK and unprecedented economic circumstances for the minimum wage.
&amp;quot;We believe that the Low Pay Commissions recommendations are appropriate for this economic climate. They reflect the need to protect low-paid workers jobs as well as their earnings.&amp;quot;Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said he was pleased the Government had not listened to business groups which have been calling for the minimum wage to be frozen because of the recession.
But he added: &amp;quot;We think it should be increased by more than 7p an hour because it is hardly going to help low-paid workers pay the bills.&amp;quot;
David Frost, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: &amp;quot;We pressed for a freeze to the minimum wage because of the severity of the downturn and the daily loss of jobs.
&amp;quot;We are pleased that the increase is only a modest one, and it shows that the Low Pay Commission and the Government have largely understood the seriousness of the situation. However, a freeze would have been more help to business.&amp;quot;
Whilst an advocate of the NMW, we dont see this rise really helping anyone. Its too small for the worker yet its another increase businesses are going to have to find from their already shrinking bottom lines. More needs to be done at this moment to support businesses and protect jobs and create jobs, the NMW would be best put on hold till such times an increase could be afforded by businesses and the increase being significant to make a difference for the workforce]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC response to squeeze on jobs market</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=62</link><description><![CDATA[
The number of people out of work in the UK rose 244,000 to 2.22 million in the first three months of 2009, the Office of National Statistics has revealed today.
The jobless rate rose from 6.7 per cent to 7.1 per cent, the largest since 1981. Unemployment benefit claimants in April rose 57,100 to 1.51 million. 
Kevin Green, the RECs Chief Executive, said: &amp;quot;Although the ONS figures show a significant jump in unemployment, the rate of deterioration in the jobs market is showing signs of easing according to the latest REC Report on Jobs.As demand returns to the economy, employers initial focus is likely to be on hiring temporary, contract and interim workers.&amp;amp;nbsp;
&amp;quot;A flexible workforce will help businesses respond to this demand by providing a stepping stone back into work for the unemployed. It is crucial then that the current consultation on implementation of the Agency Workers Directive in the UK protects the flexibility of the temp market and does not hamper employers ability to hire temporary workers.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Stakes are high, says REC, as Government publishes AWD consultation </title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=63</link><description><![CDATA[
Commenting on the significance of the Government consultation on implementing the Agency Workers Directive launched today, REC Chief Executive Kevin Green says: &amp;quot;The stakes are extremely high for business, the &amp;amp;pound;22 billion temp market and for the employment landscape in the UK.&amp;quot;
&amp;quot;A poorly drafted and unhelpful implementation of the EU Directive could unleash a regulatory wrecking-ball through the UKs jobs market. Over a million temporary and contract workers are on assignment each week and it is crucial to ensure that the equal treatment measures do not reduce employment opportunities.
&amp;quot;After what has essentially been a political debate in Brussels, it is time look at the practicalities of making the Directive work in the UK. The RECs Agency Work Commission has already paved the way for this with a series of practical recommendations that were presented to Employment Relations Minister earlier in the year. The REC will ensure that professional recruiters, who will apply equal treatment, will continue to lead the debate.&amp;quot;
The Agency Work Commission is made up of recruiters, employment lawyers and employers. The initial recommendations presented to the Department for Business were as follows: 

The scope of equal treatment should be limited to basic salary and other basic statutory rights 
Equal treatment must be easy to establish 
The 12 weeks qualifying period must be easy to administer 
Liability must rest with the end user as well as the agency 
Measures to limit the increase in employment tribunals must be promoted 
The provision of the Directive should be limited to individual workers 
UK regulations must support legitimate means of derogating from the principle of equal treatment 
A clear communication strategy is essential for effective implementation 
Implementation must be delayed until October 2011
The REC will be consulting members on this document at its third Agency Work Summit on 4th June,]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Something to make you smile</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=64</link><description><![CDATA[

Fresh out of business school, the young man answered a want ad for an accountant. Now he was being interviewed by a very nervous man who ran a small business that he had started himself. I need someone with an accounting degree, the man said. But mainly, Im looking for someone to do my worrying for me. Excuse me? the accountant said. I worry about a lot of things, the man said. But I dont want to have to worry about money. Your job will be to take all the money worries off my back. I see, the accountant said. And how much does the job pay? Ill start you at eighty thousand. Eighty thousand pounds! the accountant exclaimed. How can such a small business afford a sum like that? That, the owner said, is your first worry.
&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Person asked the young marketing executive, what starting salary were you looking for?The candidate said, Somewhere around 100,000 pounds a year, depending on the benefits package.The HR Person said, Well, what would you say to a package of 6-weeks holiday, bank holidays, full medical and dental, full pension, and a company car replaced every 2 years with all the tax paid. The Engineer sat up straight and said, Wow!!! Are you kidding?The HR Person said, B****y right I am, but you started it. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers warned of social networking legal pitfalls</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=65</link><description><![CDATA[
Employers encouragement to their staff to use social and professional networking sites for work purposes could pose legal risks.At a recent Blake Lapthorn and APSCo seminar with Selwyn Bloch QC, recruiters were advised of practical steps that an employer could take to minimise potential risks.

It is difficult to monitor an employees online activity, the legal experts agreed.Unfortunately it is all too easy for an employee to build up contacts and upload information as a preliminary step to setting up in competition.
Sensitive business information can be shared with competitors and third parties and confidential information that is uploaded into a public domain will lose its element of confidentiality, making it hard for an employer to get legal protection for its databases.

Unfortunately the courts have not yet had to decide whether an individuals networking contacts belong to the employer or the individual.With the rise in networking activity it is to be hoped that the position will be clarified soon.

There is clearly a fine line between professional networking for business purposes and private social networking whilst at work, the legal experts said.Any measures taken by an employer that encroach too far into an individuals right to privacy are likely to be unenforceable. However, the legal experts offered some practical tips for all employers:

&amp;amp;#8226;have a clear IT policy that includes use of networking sites and monitor your employees to ensure compliance (you will need to inform them, and keep the monitoring to reasonable levels) 
&amp;amp;#8226;ensure employees keep their social and professional networking separate and insist they use a work email address for professional networking 
&amp;amp;#8226;require employees to delete business contacts from their networking accounts when they leave your employment
have clearly drafted specific restrictive covenants properly covering candidate data (most current covenants fail properly to protect this data).]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Job Postings Rise as Market Surges on Better Than Expected News</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=71</link><description><![CDATA[
Theres good news out this week&amp;amp;nbsp; The conference Board reports that online job postings rose last month by the largest amount in more than two years. Its the first increase in the Help-Wanted Online Data Series in six months. 
In May, there were 250,000 more jobs posted online than in April. The 8 percent increase brought the number of advertised jobs online to 3,367,000. Though modest, the increase dwarfs the 21,000 job posting gain The Conference Board reported in October 2008.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>How can I enhance internal communication?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=66</link><description><![CDATA[
To help your business adapt to market conditions and survive through the tough times, communication with your staff is key 
In a climate of economic uncertainty and employee vulnerability, the internal communication process within any organisation becomes of paramount importance.

Internal communication is an essential component in enhancing staff morale, reducing employee attrition rates, and encouraging all parts of a business to work towards a common and achievable goal. The clarity and credibility of information within the workplace is vital; there is no room for ambiguity if you wish to train and maintain motivated, loyal and productive individuals.

While HR and marketing should champion and drive forward the issue of internal communication, the responsibility should be shared by chief executives, managing directors and team leaders alike. Creating and implementing this two-way dialogue between employers and employees creates professional transparency, thus avoiding an atmosphere of unsubstantiated rumours and destructive speculation. It also stimulates employee feedback on work-related issues, circulates relevant and constructive information, and encourages the sharing of ideas and opinions.

Once achieved, effective internal communication can serve as the life blood of an organisation. It can nurture a true sense of belonging, giving
employees a sense of direction when working towards shared &amp;amp;#8212; and clearly defined &amp;amp;#8212; goals, and motivate individuals to the level that they feel a shared responsibility for the growth and overall success of the company. 

For companies such as ourselves, an internal communication programme that centres around media such as emails, newsletters and the intranet is a tool that should be optimised to the utmost in order to generate clear and concise messages about the business as a whole. Failure to do so can result in damaging disillusionment if employees feel that they are not appreciated as an important element of their companys goals, successes and wider business decisions. 

Ineffectual communication within the workplace can lead to the erosion of trust and confidence in ones employer; can generate conflict between staff at all levels of the business; can inspire disloyalty within unsettled individuals; and can ultimately send attrition rates soaring. Whats more, a To help your business adapt to market conditions and survive through the tough times, communication with your staff is key
companys brand will suffer if its employees do not feel justified (or sufficiently knowledgeable) in acting as a champion or positive
representative of that brand.

This lack of a shared vision or an absence of clearly defined goals will, in time, lead to low morale, eventually resulting in low productivity. Without a structured system of internal communication, organisations allow third parties &amp;amp;#8212; such as the media &amp;amp;#8212; to determine which titbits of information are communicated to its employees, leaving them open to the effects of scare mongering and abstract rumours.

To achieve success within business, you need a well informed, highly motivated and fiercely loyal team behind you &amp;amp;#8212; and to achieve this,
communication is key!]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Job Cuts Hit the Young</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=67</link><description><![CDATA[
The unemployment rate has deteriorated further with 7.1 per cent of the workforce currently without a job, official figures have revealed. 
The latest Office for National Statistics labour market figures show there were 299,000 redundancies in the first quarter of 2009, and that the total number of people out of work is now 2.22 million. With one in six 18-24 year-olds already jobless, the figures are particularly bad news for young people entering the labour market this year.
The CIPDs chief economist John Philpott described the figures as &amp;quot;truly appalling&amp;quot; and repeated his prediction that unemployment would peak at 3.2 million in the second quarter of 2010.
Philpott continues: &amp;quot;Todays jobless figures paint a far worse picture of the state of the jobs market than expected. A rise in unemployment of almost a quarter of a million in a single quarter is truly appalling. There is some comfort in the fact that the rise in the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance is less than expected, though these latter administrative benefit figures are subject to revision.
&amp;quot;While the recession is now hitting every sector, every occupation and every region, the big losers are young people. Youth employment prospects are crumbling, with the toll of job losses falling most heavily on the under-25s. It will be a bleak summer and autumn for this years crop of young talent.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employees turn to alcohol to relieve stress</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=68</link><description><![CDATA[
The CIPD has called on employers to have clear policies on managing alcohol misuse as a survey reveals many workers drink well above the recommended healthy limit.
According to the governments Know Your Limits survey, Englands biggest drinkers are media workers, consuming more than 10 units above the NHSs recommended weekly average limit.
Workers in the media, publishing or entertainment industry drink an average of 44 units a week, with the recommended average limit being 28 units a week for men and 21 units for women.
IT workers are the second heaviest drinkers (34 units a week), followed by service-sector workers (33 units) and people in finance, insurance and real estate (29 units).
An office drinking culture could be partly responsible, as many workers felt pressured to drink by colleagues. One in 10 drinkers felt their alcohol consumption affected their work.
Teachers were found to consume less overall but the survey found they are among the most prone to rely on booze to unwind after a stressful day, along with journalists, builders, bankers and estate agents.
Ben Willmott, the CIPDs senior public policy adviser, said: &amp;quot;Employers should have clear policies on managing alcohol misuse, which make clear to employees that drinking to a level that negatively affects their performance, attendance or behaviour at work is unacceptable.
&amp;quot;Policies should also spell out the health risks of excessive drinking and make it clear that support is available for people that have a dependency problem.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Top 10 excuses for falling asleep at your desk</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=69</link><description><![CDATA[
&amp;quot;They told me at the blood bank this might happen.&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;I wasnt sleeping, I was trying to pick up contact lens without hands.&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;I wasnt sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm!&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;Amen&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;This is just a 15 minute power-nap like they raved about in the last time management course you sent me to.&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;Whew! Guess I left the top off the liquid paper&amp;quot;
&amp;quot;I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work related stress.&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people!&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;Boy, that cold medicine I took last night just wont wear off!&amp;quot; 
&amp;quot;Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.&amp;quot;..............................................
Once upon a time there was a non-conforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter. However, soon the weather turned so cold that he reluctantly decided to fly south. In a short time ice began to form on his wings and he fell to Earth in a barnyard, nearly frozen solid. A cow passed by where he had fallen, and dumped on the little sparrow.The sparrow thought it was the end, but the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings! Warm and happy, able to breath, he started to sing. Just then a large cat came by, and hearing the chirping he investigated the sounds. The cat cleared away the manure, found the chirping bird, and promptly ate him. The Moral of the Story: Everyone who dumps on you is not necessarily your enemy Everyone who gets you out of poo is not necessarily your friend. And if youre warm and happy in a pile of poo, you might just want to keep your mouth shut.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>National Temporary Workers Week 2009</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=70</link><description><![CDATA[


Welcome to RECs 9th National Temporary Workers Week in which we all celebrate the enormous contribution the UKs temporary, interim and contract workforce makes to national, regional and local economies.
Each week, recruitment and staffing agencies across the UK place around 1.2million workers in the most wide-ranging spectrum of jobs and assignments, spanning every conceivable sector of business, industry, public and private services. The temporary market in the UK is worth &amp;amp;pound;24bn to GDP.&amp;amp;nbsp; 
With the recession biting and the Agency Workers Directive around&amp;amp;nbsp;the corner, its never been more vital that we take stock and tell the world just how much difference temporary and flexible working makes.&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Over the last 8 years we have been humbled by the many hundreds of entries for our One in a Million competition, which each year soared to new heights in its search for temporary and flexible workers who have&amp;amp;nbsp;gone above and beyond expectations.
A change for 2009, reflecting the sharper focus for the industry,&amp;amp;nbsp;our focal point of Tempweek this year will be a call to arms Summit at a pivotal point in the Governments formal consultation period on the forthcoming Agency Workers Directive. 
Theres more reason than ever to stand up and be counted. 
Make your voice heard.

Kevin Green, Chief Executive at REC]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers still face difficulties Sourcing Staff</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=72</link><description><![CDATA[One in 10 (11%) of UK employers are facing difficulties in recruiting the staff they require despite the recession, according to the fourth Manpower Annual Talent Shortage Survey released today.&amp;amp;nbsp; The figures remain consistent compared to the 2008 findings when 12% of employers surveyed highlighted difficulties in recruiting the right staff. However, the figures represent a marked improvement from 2007 and 2006 when 34% and 42% of employers respectively cited difficulties recruiting staff with the right skills.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Opinion: Apprentice teaches us to value older recruits</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=73</link><description><![CDATA[
This years finalists were, in the words of the man tasked with choosing his latest Apprentice, &amp;quot;the best weve ever had&amp;quot;.And it is difficult to argue with Sir Alan Sugars opinion of Kate Walsh and eventual winner Yasmina Siadatan - both of whom would do a more than competent job in most business situations.But the majority of the rest of this years contestants - as with every series before on the show - seemed to possess not only a worrying lack of business acumen but also a total absence of common sense.What they were not short of was vanity and ego - not exactly attributes you want to see pasted at the top of anyones CV.The Apprentice might be billed as &amp;quot;the job interview from hell&amp;quot; - but for TV viewing interest it is clearly removed from reality.That said there is one lesson from the show which all recruitiers - and businesses who are recruiting - should learn: Age should be no barrier when bringing new blood into the workforce.Forget the vacuously delusional &amp;quot;I won a scholarship at Sandhurst&amp;quot; wannabees entering the contest - the real stars of the show are Sir Alans lieutenants Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford.Wise and learned beyond the dreams of any contestant on the programme the famously caustic pair show precisely why recruiters and businesses should never discount the older generation.Of course both had hugely successful careers before appearing on the programme and are not meant to be judged against the hopefuls they are monitoring.Nevertheless their constant presence puts the failings of those competing into sharp relief.With the UKs ageing population and millions of older people being forced to work beyond retirement age because their pensions have been obliterated, the faces of Nick and Margaret should be on posters in the office of every recruiter as a permanent reminder that experience comes with age.Age discrimination is illegal but it still takes place all the time in the UK - and is much more common than any other type of discriminatory behaviour in the workplace.But why? There is an army of highly-educated and experienced people in the 50-plus sector who would be an asset to most organisations - yet often they are dismissed at the outset of any recruitment process because of their age.Granted they may not be as technologically savvy as their younger rivals but more often than not these skills can be learned - and this is a generation more willing to learn than many of those churned out of our educational system more recently.The older generation has been disproportionately affected by redundancy in the current recession and many may never work again.If that is the case it will to the detriment of this countrys future prosperity.Employers may take some convincing but it is up to recruiters to keep emphasising the advantages of taking on an already &amp;quot;experienced&amp;quot; labour force.And if youre not yet convinced of this yourself just remember this: One day you too will be old.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Something to make you smile.</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=74</link><description><![CDATA[
Top 10 sayings wed like to see on those office inspirational posters:1. Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; them.2. If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos...then you probably havent completely understood&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;the seriousness of the situation.3. Doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG fourteen times gives you&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;job security.4. Eagles may soar, but weasels dont get sucked into jet engines.5. Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity6. A person who smiles in the face of adversity...probably has a scapegoat.7. Plagarism saves time.8. If at first you dont succeed, try management.9. Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.10. TEAMWORK...means never having to take all the blame yourself. 
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
Resolving to surprise her husband, an executives wife stopped by his office. She found him with his secretary sitting in his lap. Without hesitating, he dictated, ...and in conclusion, gentlemen, shortage or no shortage, I cannot continue to operate this office with just one chair.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Improve your &amp;lsquo;outside-in&amp;lsquo; thinking</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=75</link><description><![CDATA[This is called outside-in thinking. It enables us to make sense of change, and seize the best insights and ideas to drive innovation and profitable growth.&amp;amp;nbsp;Here are the 10 outside-in principles that will help you survive and thrive in the new business world.1. Find the best markets for growth. Growth is about finding the markets with most potential. Look across continents and sectors. Dont be limited by what is comfortable or close.&amp;amp;nbsp;2. Explore the new business landscape. Business can no longer be parochial. Power has shifted from West to East, from big to small, from business to customer. &amp;amp;nbsp;3. Live in the customers world.Take off your business blinkers and see what matters to customers. Talk to them about their dreams and priorities, rather than products and prices. &amp;amp;nbsp;4. Treat customers as individuals not averages. We often seek to create average solutions for average customers. Think about your customer as a real person. Learn about what drives him or her deeply. &amp;amp;nbsp;5. Dont sell products, deliver experiences! We see the sales transaction as the culmination of our efforts; for the customer its just the beginning. Go beyond that little bit of after-sales support to deliver experiences that will endure over time.&amp;amp;nbsp;6. Do business on their terms, not yours. Why should I want to read a random piece of irrelevant mail from you? Why should I come to you? Learn to engage and interact on customers terms.&amp;amp;nbsp;7. Enable customers to achieve their dreams. Customers have ambitions, or at least problems to solve. Your products and even your services are just a means to address these. Enable them to do things faster, better and bigger than they ever thought possible.&amp;amp;nbsp;8. Embrace networks and partners.Physical and virtual networks are prime opportunities to connect with customers, embrace and build communities, connect with partners who have difference capabilities and relationships, and reach new places.&amp;amp;nbsp;9. Be more emotional and energising. Business is about people engaging with others. People are inspired by those who have a vision, those who can make sense of complexity and those who understand them best. &amp;amp;nbsp;10. Dont be the biggest &amp;amp;#8212; be the best. In a changing business world, the emphasis has shifted from scale and volume to relevance and difference. The profits are to be found in niches. Loyalty lies in personalisation.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers&amp;lsquo; &amp;lsquo;wait and see&amp;lsquo; attitude could prove costly</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=76</link><description><![CDATA[
Badenoch &amp;amp; Clark says that employers remain cautious in their hiring, but warns that they need to gear up for hiring now or risk missing out when the upturn comes.
Neil Wilson, managing of Badenoch &amp;amp; Clark, says: &amp;quot;Despite what appears to be some very early green shoots and some positive messages from economists, many employers are adopting a wait and see attitude when it comes to their hiring plans.
&amp;quot;This is understandable at one level, but employers do need to start thinking now about their resource requirements for when the upturn comes or risk being caught out.
&amp;quot;There are some employers who see the current economic difficulty as an opportunity to attract professional talent that might not normally be available to them.
&amp;quot;Professionals in demand include commercially minded accountants, business analysts, programme and project managers, IT specialists and compliance/risk management experts.&amp;quot;
&amp;quot;Were anticipating a growth in demand for temporary professional staff in the second half of 2009 as employers start reacting to the anticipated easing in the countrys economic difficulties.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Joe's quote of the week very appropriate this week</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=77</link><description><![CDATA[Joes quote of the week. &amp;quot;life is not measured by the numbers of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away&amp;quot;.Joes breath was certainly taken away last week when he was forcibly pushed out of a plane at 10,000 feet.The team at eResponse took part in a Sky Dive and raised over &amp;amp;pound;1,600 for three Cancer Charities.They plan to do it again in the future.&amp;amp;nbsp; Anyone interested in joining the team for next years jump then please let us know. The more the merrier.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Something to make you smile</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=78</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Double hit of humour

&amp;amp;nbsp;Reporter interviewing a 104-year-old woman: And what do you think is the best thing about being 104? the reporter asked. She simply replied, No peer pressure. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;The nice thing about being senile is You can hide your own Easter eggs. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;Ive sure gotten old! Ive had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, &amp;amp;nbsp;New knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes &amp;amp;nbsp;Im half blind, &amp;amp;nbsp;Cant hear anything quieter than a jet engine, &amp;amp;nbsp;Take 40 different medications that &amp;amp;nbsp;Make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. &amp;amp;nbsp;Have bouts with dementia .. &amp;amp;nbsp;Have poor circulation; &amp;amp;nbsp;Hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. &amp;amp;nbsp;Cant remember if Im 89 or 98. &amp;amp;nbsp;Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, &amp;amp;nbsp;I still have my drivers license. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;My memorys not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memorys not as sharp as it used to be. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;Its scary when you start making the same noises As your coffee maker. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;These days about half the stuff In my shopping cart says, For fast relief. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people &amp;amp;nbsp;I never liked anyway, &amp;amp;nbsp;The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and &amp;amp;nbsp;The eyesight to tell the difference.&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Always Remember This: You dont stop laughing because you grow old, 
You grow old because you stop laughing!!!

Some of these are very, very painful! Read at your own risk!1.&amp;amp;nbsp; A bicycle cant stand on its own because it is two-tired.2.&amp;amp;nbsp; Whats the definition of a will? (Its a dead giveaway).3.&amp;amp;nbsp; Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.4.&amp;amp;nbsp; A backwards poet writes inverse.5.&amp;amp;nbsp; Acupuncture is a jab well done.6.&amp;amp;nbsp; She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off.7.&amp;amp;nbsp; A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.8.&amp;amp;nbsp; If you dont pay your exorcist you get repossessed.9.&amp;amp;nbsp; With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.10. Santas helpers are subordinate clauses.11. When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.12. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.13. You feel stuck with your debt if you cant budge it.14. Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under.&amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>UK offices happiest for a year. </title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=79</link><description><![CDATA[
Is it due to the&amp;amp;nbsp;sun shining, we have a British chap to cheer at Wimbledon, or the football season ending. British workers are the happiest they have been since the recession began, according Badenoch &amp;amp; Clarks Happiness at Work Index.
The index shows that with 78% now are reporting high levels of happiness, up 4% from earlier this year, while morale has increased by 5%.Neil Wilson, managing director at Badenoch &amp;amp; Clark, says: &amp;quot;The Happiness at Work Index is an important barometer of the mood of the nation. We spend most of our waking life at work, and so happiness and morale levels in the office give an important insight into the general outlook of the population.
&amp;quot;Study after study has shown that a happy employee is a productive employee, and so anything that can be done to ensure happiness and morale remain high will deliver serious business benefits.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Economic crisis creates new UK employment landscape</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=80</link><description><![CDATA[
The UK workplace landscape has altered dramatically as a result of the Recession.Research from the CBI and leading recruitment experts Harvey Nash shows employers and staff are working together to protect businesses and jobs by increasing flexible working and freezing pay and recruitment.The survey of key workplace trends showed almost two-thirds of employers had made or were considering making significant changes to the way they organised their workforce and working patterns.More flexible working hours, extended shut-downs, extra holiday and cuts in paid overtime have all become more commonplace as the recession has deepened and firms have become determined to cut costs.CBI Deputy Director-General John Cridland said: &amp;quot;This has been a particularly bruising recession, but one of its most positive and striking aspects has been the commitment of many businesses and their staff to work together to try to trim costs and save jobs.&amp;quot;The UKs flexible labour market has proved a huge asset during these testing times, and flexible working changes have enabled employers and staff to create leeway on working hours.&amp;quot;While pay and recruitment freezes should disappear as the economy recovers, the spirit of flexibility and the willingness of many staff to engage positively with employers on these issues will hopefully be a more permanent benefit of the UK economy.&amp;quot;The UK-wide survey, whose 704 respondents employ a total of three million, showed the Recession and rising unemployment had taken a severe toll, with more than half of employers (55%) indicating that they were going to freeze pay during the next pay round, while 39% expected to make a modest increase.Many employers are standing by their staff training, and two thirds want to target training more efficiently. In cases where jobs could not be saved, individual redundancy payments have averaged around &amp;amp;pound;12,000.Nearly two thirds of employers have frozen recruitment either across the whole organisation (30%) or in parts of it (31%). Firms are uncertain about prospects for a recovery in recruitment, though 53% think it will take up to two years or more for recruitment levels to return to 2007 levels.Graduates also face a tough time as two-fifths (38%) have frozen graduate recruitment, and a further 10% are recruiting fewer graduates than in 2008. However, recruitment remains resilient in the public sector and in professional services, while one in six employers are offering internships and placements.Some 45% have increased flexible working among staff to reduce hours and meet employee requests for a work-life balance. A further 24% are considering or intending to make increases. Making a flexible response to falling economic demand, a third (33%) of employers have cut their use of agency staff, while 43% have reduced paid overtime.Albert Ellis, CEO of Harvey Nash, said: &amp;quot;The recession has led to fundamental changes in the way employers recruit, motivate and develop employees, and UK plc must act fast to keep highly-skilled talent in the UK labour market. Otherwise, we run the risk of conceding our competitive edge to other countries.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers should offer more flexibility for dads</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=81</link><description><![CDATA[
Ed Balls&amp;amp;nbsp;recently announced&amp;amp;nbsp;and confirmed yesterday extra money to give families real help through the Recession.&amp;amp;nbsp; Family-friendly working practices - especially flexible hours for dads - should be promoted by employers, according to Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.The call to action to employers is part of the &amp;quot;Think Fathers&amp;quot; campaign, launched last year by the DCSF to kick-start a national debate on the importance of dads.The first national &amp;quot;Think Fathers&amp;quot; summit was held in London yesterday aimed at encouraging professional bodies and organisations, public services and the voluntary sector to look at how they can better recognise and support fathers.Balls told the summit: &amp;quot;I want all fathers to feel supported by their employers, so that they can make time for their families and work flexibly around caring for their children. That is why we are working with BT and other businesses to produce a guide for employers on the benefits of supporting fathers in the workforce and how to set up family-friendly practices.&amp;quot;I know how important it is to take an active role in my childrens lives. Research has shown that children with highly involved fathers at age seven do better at school, have higher self-esteem and are less likely to get into trouble in adolescence. We need to get rid of the outdated assumption that dads are the invisible parent &amp;amp;#8211; they deserve to be better recognised for the great job they are doing every day.&amp;quot;Now is precisely the time we must support families because economic instability can put a huge strain on relationships. Thats why last month I announced extra money to give families real help through the Recession. We know the early years are a crucial time for child development which is why we are now looking at the support we provide to families from a childs birth, and how well fathers are engaged at this time of change and vulnerability for families. &amp;quot;Through the Think Fathers campaign I want all public services to work better with dads and all employers to make sure dads are given the time they need to be good parents. Its only right that dads want to spend more time with their children &amp;amp;#8211; we must now ensure that we do all we can to support this.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Is the candidate right for you?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=82</link><description><![CDATA[
Job Interviews are Critical to the Quality of an Organisations People...
...good interview processes increase the quality of people in an organisaoin. Poor job interview methods result in poor selection, which undermines capablilities, wastes time and increases staff turnover.
We have listed samples of interview questions asked at interviews. Many interviews and interviewees are keenly interested in tough interview questions and certainly interviewees need to prepare answers for tough questions. However, from the interviewers perspective asking tough questions is not usually helpful. Inteviews should not place undue pressure on interviewees, because people tend to withdraw and become defensive under pressure. When always learn more about people when they relax!
Its better therefore to focus on good interview questions rather than tough ones. Good interview questions encourage interviewees to think about themselves and to give the interviewer clear and revealing information as to the interviewees needs, capabilities experience, personality, and suitability for the job. 
The best interview questions are therefore the question which most help interviewees to reveal their skills, knowledge, attitudes, and feelings to the interviewer.
Good Open Questions to ask: 
What are they looking for in a job?Are the looking to settle in a job?How consistent is their work history? Do they live within a reasonable travel distance?Are they looking for career progression?Do their long term career aims match the position?Do they want/need support and training?What unique qualities set them apart from any potential employees?What are their key achievements in previous employments?Will their personality fit within the company culture?How will they get on with clients and staff?how will they deal with awkward clients/people?Have they had enough life experience to be able to deal with certain situations?
The key to hiring the right people is to know the right questions to ask when you interview prospective employees. Ask the wrong questions and those bad apples of employees slip into your team/department while the candidates who would have been assets to your company are passed over to the competition.
For further support on new or existing recruitment projects Paul Alekna is available by calling 01527 66688 or emailing palekna@e-responserecruitment.co.uk ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>BCC Reports on returning Confidence</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=83</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp;The worst of the recession could be over, according to findings from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Economic Survey.
Manufacturing fared better in Q2 than services, though in absolute terms, the manufacturing sector remains in a worse condition overall.
Turnover confidence was positive for the first time since Q3 last year and it has improved dramatically for manufacturing firms, rising 40 points from -38 in Q1 to +2 in Q2.
Hiring intentions in both sectors grew this quarter, but the BCC predicts unemployment will reach 3.2m by mid 2010.
David Frost, director at the British Chambers of Commerce Director General, says: &amp;quot;These results are sending Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling a strong message from the business community. It is absolutely vital that the improvement in business confidence is nurtured.
&amp;quot;Our economy is based on confidence, and wealth-creating businesses need to know they will be given the freedom and flexibility to drive the UK out of recession and into a sustainable recovery.
David Kern, chief economist at the BCC, adds: &amp;quot;The pace of decline in the UK economy is clearly moderating. The worst phase of the recession is over, but serious downward pressures persist across all sectors and regions. Most key balances are still in negative territory and remain weak by historical standards. Recovery is now possible but it is not yet secure.
&amp;quot;Further corrective measures are still needed to support the economy. The marked improvement in confidence, albeit from exceptionally low levels, is welcome. However, these recent gains can only be sustained if the economy continues to stabilise and the recession ends.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Jobs decline finally easing Says KPMG/REC Survey</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=84</link><description><![CDATA[There are signs of improvement in the jobs market, with Junes fall in permanent job appointments the weakest for 13 months, according to the latest REC/KPMG survey.
The number of permanent job vacancies saw its weakest decline in nine months, while the drop in temporary vacancies was at its lowest in eight months.
Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, says: I will be surprised if we dont get a positive number next month.
Mike Stevens, head of business services at KMPG says: &amp;quot;Although the rate of decline for permanent and temporary placements continues to slow, it is probably too early to talk about a recovery in the UK jobs market.
The survey found that despite rising unemployment some skills were still in demand.&amp;amp;nbsp; These included chefs, personal assistants, auditors, and some types of software engineers.Meanwhile, after figures from Office of National Statistics showed manufacturing output declined by 0.5% in May, the National Institute for Economic Research and Development estimates the economy contracted by 0.4% in the second quarter]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers Hiring there way out of Recession</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=85</link><description><![CDATA[
It seems despite the continuing recession 53% of employers are continuing to hire...
According to findings from Jobsite.co.uks report on hiring in an economic downturn, Recessional recruiting: 
53 per cent of employers are still hiring, despite the recession with 35 per cent of UK employers are hoping to ride out the recession by recruiting specific talent.
The full report is available for free download at: www.jobsite.co.uk/recessionreport 
One in three (35 per cent) UK employers are hoping to ride out the recession by recruiting specific talent. 
New Talent will help boost businessAccording to Jobsites new research report Recessional recruiting (www.jobsite.co.uk/recessionreport) many industries, including retail and recruitment, are currently aiming to attract new blood to help boost their bottom line. 
Talent most sought after includes strategic consultants (16 per cent), sales managers (21 per cent), new business people (20 per cent), and online gurus (nine per cent).
At the same time, close to a quarter (23 per cent) of companies say they are only recruiting critical hires crucial to the survival of their business, with customer service, sales and travel &amp;amp; tourism sectors the most likely to be following this staffing strategy. 
Despite the continuing recession shaking the confidence of over half of employers, 53% are still recruiting. This is good news for workers in the pharmaceutical (76 per cent), education (74 per cent), charity (69 per cent), retail (59 per cent) and IT (46 per cent) industries, who are doing the most active recruitment. 
It would seem middle management positions are also experiencing a rise in demand, with three times as many middle manager roles now available for every one senior role. This finding reflects the fact that businesses are increasingly favouring experienced staff but with lower salary expectations than senior managers. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Double dose of humour this month.</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=92</link><description><![CDATA[
Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgianbeer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab onthe way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a JapaneseTV.And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of all things foreign!Only in Britain can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.Only in Britain do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to theback of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buycigarettes at the front.Only in Britain do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and aDIET coke.Only in Britain do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to thecounters.Only in Britain do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds on the drive andlock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.Only in Britain do we use answering machines to screen calls and then havecall waiting so we wont miss a call from someone we didnt want to talk toin the first place.Only in Britain are there disabled parking places in front of a skatingrink.NOT TO MENTION..3 Brits die each year testing if a 9 v battery works on their tongue.142 Brits were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts.58 Brits are injured each year by using sharp knives instead ofscrewdrivers.31 Brits have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while thefairy lights were plugged in.British Hospitals reported 4 broken arms last year after Xmascracker-pulling accidents.18 Brits had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper with a litcigarette in their mouth.A massive 543 Brits were admitted to A&amp;amp;E in the last two years after tryingto open bottles of beer with their teeth... 5 Brits were injured last year in accidents involving out-of-controlScalextric cars.and finally...In 2000 eight Brits were admitted to hospital with fractured skulls incurredwhilst throwing up into the toilet......
If you remember the original &amp;quot;Hollywood Squares,&amp;quot; this may bring tears to your eyes. These great questions and answers are from the days when &amp;quot;Hollywood Squares&amp;quot; game show responses were spontaneous and clever. Q. Do female frogs croak?A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.Q. If youre going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?A. Charley Weaver: &amp;amp;nbsp;Three days of steady drinking should do it. Q. True or False: &amp;amp;nbsp;A pea can last as long as 5,000 years.A. George Gobel: &amp;amp;nbsp;Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.Q. Youve been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?A. Don Knotts: &amp;amp;nbsp;Thats whats been keeping me awake.Q. According to Cosmo, if you meet a stranger at a party, and you think he is attractive, is it okay to ask him if hes married?A. Rose Marie: &amp;amp;nbsp;No.....wait until morning.Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?A. Charley Weaver: &amp;amp;nbsp;My sense of decency.Q. What are: &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;quot;Do It,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;I Can Help,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;I Cant Get Enough&amp;quot;?A. George Gobel: &amp;amp;nbsp;I dont know, but its coming from the next apartment.Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more, or less, with your&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;hands while talking?A. Rose Marie: &amp;amp;nbsp;You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and Ill give you a gesture youll never forget.Q. Charley, youve just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to&amp;amp;nbsp;get any during the first year?A. Charley Weaver: &amp;amp;nbsp;Of course not.....Im too busy growing strawberries.Q. In bowling, whats a perfect score?A. Rose Marie: &amp;amp;nbsp;Ralph, the pin boy.Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom...or in the closet?A. Rose Marie: &amp;amp;nbsp;Unfortunately, Peter, Im always safe in the bedroom.Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?A. Marty Allen: &amp;amp;nbsp;Only after lights out.Q. According to Ann Landers, is their anything wrong with getting&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;into the habit of kissing a lot of people?A. Charley Weaver: &amp;amp;nbsp;It got me out of the army.Q. When a couple has a baby, who is responsible for its sex?A. Charley Weaver: &amp;amp;nbsp;Ill lend him the car. The rest is up to him.Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them&amp;amp;nbsp;and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?A. Charley Weaver: &amp;amp;nbsp;His feet.Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?A. Paul Lynde: &amp;amp;nbsp;Point....and Laugh]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Recognising the value of temporary work</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=86</link><description><![CDATA[
Research has shown that some people choose to be a temporary worker due to the freedom, the flexibility and the experience such work can offer. There is a very strong case to recognise the value of temping.
Temporary work provides instant access to work for everyone from students looking for some extra work to supplement their income to highly skilled professionals such as nurses who want to stay in their career but on the hours and terms they choose. 
We asked several temporary workers what they thought about temporary work to challenge the myth that workers are exploited. Read their views:-. 
&amp;amp;#8226; Temporary work provides flexible work options to suit workers domestic circumstances.
&amp;amp;#8226; Temporary work keeps people in work when looking for a permanent job.
&amp;amp;#8226; Temporary work offers a range of experiences to young people and those wishing to change careers by allowing them to try before they buy into a job.
Temping myths
&amp;quot;Temporary jobs pay less&amp;quot;
When negotiating pay an agency will try to get the highest possible pay rate for the temporary worker as their margin is usually a percentage of the wage costs. It is therefore in the interests of recruitment agencies to gain a competitive wage for their temp staff. 
&amp;quot;Temporary workers are exploited&amp;quot;
Temporary workers hold most of the rights that employees have including:
&amp;amp;#8226; 24 days paid holiday a year (this will rise to 28 days in April 2009).&amp;amp;#8226; Working time rights to breaks and rest time.&amp;amp;#8226; Right to non-discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, disability, faith, sexual orientation and age.&amp;amp;#8226; Statutory sick pay&amp;amp;#8226; Statutory maternity/paternity pay
The main differences are that temporary workers cannot:
&amp;amp;#8226; Claim unfair dismissal (permanent staff receive this after a year) &amp;amp;#8226; Claim redundancy pay (permanent staff receive this right after two years)&amp;amp;#8226; Do not have access to maternity leave i.e. they cannot return to the same job. It would not make sense for a temporary worker to have the right to return to the same job as it probably would no longer exist. 
&amp;quot;Employers use temporary staff instead of permanent staff to save costs&amp;quot;
It is sometimes thought that temps are a cheap option but this is unlikely to be the case. A client company will have to pay the cost of employment for the temporary and a margin to the recruitment agency. In many case temps command a higher rate of pay than their permanent counterparts &amp;amp;#8211; they charge a premium for their services as they are available at short notice. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Applying Online? What do jobseekers think?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=89</link><description><![CDATA[
Over 1300 students and graduates were questioned on their experiences of online applications, for the GTI Online Recruitment Student User Survey 2009. The results highlight that systems are now generally recognised as the mainstream way of making an application and that applicants are skilled in their use.
The feedback suggests that there is still variable quality in the systems used. There is also conflict between employers insisting on open-ended questions and applicants who cannot see the point of such questions and are not prepared to spend time on them. The issue on which there is no dispute, however, is that any system must have clear objectives, be technically efficient, properly tested, and fair and welcoming to all prospective applicants. 
Survey results
The majority of comments were positive. When asked what they liked, students mentioned speed, convenience/cost-effectiveness, fairness and presentation:
&amp;amp;#8226; It is faster, cheaper and easier to apply online than by mail&amp;amp;#8226; It is easier to amend online&amp;amp;#8226; You can do the application any time of day&amp;amp;#8226; A standardised application process is the fairest way to assess candidates
57% said that what they appreciated most was to being able to save and return to the form. The ability to complete sections in any order was also highly valued.
When there were objections they related to the length of the form, its complexity and sections where the candidate didnt have relevant experience: It wastes time &amp;amp;#8211; emailing a CV and a covering letter is faster and I dont need to re-submit the information in a different form. The speed of the system and finding the web link in the first place were also mentioned as stumbling blocks.Why were their systems rated so highly?&amp;amp;#8226; It was very easy to find under the graduate section&amp;amp;#8226; Good navigation with clear questions&amp;amp;#8226; Apply Now button&amp;amp;#8226; One system for all job applicantsMany organisations received accolades such as brilliant, it all worked, a friendly and welcoming site. Regrettably, other responses show how a bad site can cause irritation and alienation:&amp;amp;#8226; I had to phone to ask where to go to apply as it wasnt clear at all online&amp;amp;#8226; The site was not maintained well&amp;amp;#8226; The submit button was placed off-screen and you had to scroll to find it&amp;amp;#8226; The internships were not easily distinguishable from the graduate jobs&amp;amp;#8226; I had to find the vacancies, then search through all of them to see which one I was eligible for Candidates gave suggestions for system developments:&amp;amp;#8226; Alignment with new technologies, for example so more browsers are supported and documents can be loaded in a wider variety of formats&amp;amp;#8226; Standardise testing&amp;amp;#8226; Include a spell checker&amp;amp;#8226; Allow users to see all the questions at the outset&amp;amp;#8226; Live help via an instant messaging system&amp;amp;#8226; Ability to upload a CV and have the system parse it for relevant information&amp;amp;#8226; Space for a personal statement&amp;amp;#8226; Tracking of applications with confirmation of progress.Processing of applications66% said theyd submitted applications that were acknowledged immediately, while at the other end of the spectrum, a startling 12% had submitted applications where theyd received no acknowledgement at all. When waiting for news of rejection or the next stage, 12% had experience of an immediate next step while over 40% of people had experienced waits of more than two weeks.RecommendationsBased on this research we give the following advice:&amp;amp;#8226; Test the system thoroughly before launch&amp;amp;#8226; Keep it simple&amp;amp;#8226; Make sure it can be completed in a reasonable length of time&amp;amp;#8226; Think carefully about all the issues that really annoy users &amp;amp;#8211; arbitrary word limits, not enough space, illogical processes&amp;amp;#8226; Ensure that users can save and return to the system&amp;amp;#8226; Allow for exceptions (mature applicants, postgraduates, those with different educational backgrounds, etc)&amp;amp;#8226; If recruiting internationally, ensure the system is not country/culture specific&amp;amp;#8226; Respond promptly and sensitively to submitted forms. If there was one complaint was most notable in the responses we received, then this was it&amp;amp;#8226; If possible, give details of the application process and how long it takes to typically go through each stage&amp;amp;#8226; Make the web link to the system easy to find.If youd like a copy of the full survey results or a demonstration of our applicant tracking system, please contact mark.tims@gtisolutions.co.uk. Key facts about the survey1368 students and graduates were surveyed in May 2009. They all had experience of using online application systems. The questionnaire was online and comprised seven pages of quick-to-answer questions. 677 completed the survey in full (55%) while 1027 provided partial responses. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>How to sell yourself in a Job Interview.</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=90</link><description><![CDATA[
Interviewing for a job is in many ways comparable to a sales person making a sale. If you were a sales person and were about to sell a product to a customer you would do some homework or research so that you could convince your customers that your product was the best product on the market to fill their needs.
If you think of this scenario and apply it to the job interview process you will find that it is a powerful tool to use for your interview preparation. What do you have to offer (as a product), to the customer (the employer)? What do you have that will fill their needs (the requirements of the job)? What can you bring that is unique or added value to the position/company? (that sets you apart from the pack)?
Lets begin with &amp;quot;what you have to offer.&amp;quot; Think of ways to present your key qualities throughout the interview. An example of this technique is when interviewing for a position that requires &amp;quot;strong organizational skills.&amp;quot; You will want to let the interviewer know you are not only organized, but that your organizational skills have made a significant difference in your performance. If you can give an example of a particular event that you organized and how your organizational skills made a difference in a past job you will make an even stronger sell. Anyone can say that they have &amp;quot;strong organizational skills,&amp;quot; but not everyone can give specific examples of a time when they had a success using those skills. Dont tell them - sell them - with proof of a past experience or success.
Next, begin to think about what the employers needs are and how your product can fill those needs. You can accomplish this by studying the job description or posting. Read through the posting or job description once for content. Then, read it a second time for specific words that are emphasized. There will be specific words used according to the job or industry that you are applying for. Make a list of these words to use as &amp;quot;key factors&amp;quot; needed. Now, return to the job posting and read it once more. This time read &amp;quot;between the lines.&amp;quot; What would it take to do this job? If for instance, there is a statement such as, &amp;quot;Position will require frequent collaboration and interaction on all levels of staff and management,&amp;quot; you can gather that &amp;quot;strong interpersonal&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;communication&amp;quot; skills will be needed to do this job. By making a list of &amp;quot;key requirements&amp;quot; you can match them against what you have to offer.
The last factor to prepare for your sale is to let the employer know that you have the ability to &amp;quot;fit in.&amp;quot; and be a &amp;quot;team player.&amp;quot; The interviewer will not only be looking to see if you can do the job, but they will also be checking to see if you will be a good addition to the team. Dont dismiss your personal traits in your sales &amp;quot;pitch&amp;quot; preparation. Identify skills that make you unique such as &amp;quot;interpersonal skills,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;attitude,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done.&amp;quot; These skills could make the difference between yourself and an equally qualified candidate getting the job offer.
When you take the time to prepare for the sale of the product - YOU - you will have a better chance of convincing the customer or buyer that you are just what they are looking for. By the time you leave the interview the interviewer should have a strong sense of what you have to offer and why they should hire you - why you are the best person for the job to fill their needs.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Something to make you smile</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=91</link><description><![CDATA[
A very successful businessman had a meeting with his new son-in-law.I love my daughter, and now I welcome you into the family, said the man.To show you how much we care for you, Im making you a 50-50 partner in my business. All you have to do is go to the factory every day and learn the operations.The son-in-law interrupted, I hate factories. I cant stand the noise.I see, replied the father-in-law, Well, then youll work in the office and take charge of some of the operations.I hate office work, said the son-on-law. I cant stand being stuck behind a desk all day.Wait a minute, said the father-in-law. I just made you half-owner of a moneymaking organization, but you dont like factories and wont work in a office. What am I going to do with you?Easy, said the young man. Buy me out. 
Five cannibals get appointed as programmers in an IT company. During the welcoming ceremony the boss says Youre all part of our team now. You can earn good money here, and you can go to the company canteen for something to eat. So dont trouble the other employees. The cannibals promise not to trouble the other employees. Four weeks later the boss returns and says Youre all working very hard, and Im very satisfied with all of you. One of our cleaners has disappeared however. Do any of you know what happened to her? The cannibals disown all knowledge of the missing cleaner. After the boss has left, the leader of the cannibals says to the others Which of you idiots ate the cleaner?One of the cannibals raises his hand hesitantly, to which the leader of the cannibals says You PRAT! For four weeks weve been eating team leaders, managers, and project managers and no-one has noticed anything, and now YOU ate one cleaner and it got noticed. So hereafter please do not eat a person who is working.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>"For the first time in 17 months, this month's report shows signs that the UK jobs market is improvi</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=95</link><description><![CDATA[
The&amp;amp;nbsp;September &amp;amp;nbsp;Report on Jobs published today by the REC and KPMG has received widespread national media coverage today as the latest survey&amp;amp;nbsp;shows&amp;amp;nbsp;there are signs of recovery now beginning to appear in the labour market.
Kevin Green, the RECs Chief Executive, has been interviewed this week on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, by Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio Five Live and will also be appearing&amp;amp;nbsp;on the BBC Business News later this week. &amp;amp;nbsp;He was also quoted in the story as it appears on the BBC website and&amp;amp;nbsp;was in all the BBCs news bulletins.
&amp;quot;It seems that employers are becoming more confident in their hiring decisions,&amp;quot; Kevin told the BBC.
Features about the Report have also appeared in the Financial Times and the Times. The reason is the Reports findings have shown the first positive signs of recovery in the jobs market.
The report signals a return to growth, albeit only marginal,&amp;amp;nbsp;of both permanent and temporary staff appointments during August.&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Key points of the Report are:

Marginal increases in both permanent and temporary staff appointments. 
&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;Candidate availability rose at weaker pace.&amp;amp;nbsp;
Permanent and temporary staff pay fell at slower rates. 
This was the first growth of permanent appointments for&amp;amp;nbsp;17 months and the first increase in temp billings since July 2008.. The rate of contraction of demand for staff eased further in August. The latest drop in overall vacancies was the weakest in just over a year.
However, recruitment consultants reported another month of declining pay rates in August. However, the latest reductions in both permanent salaries and temporary/contract staff hourly wages were the slowest in ten months. 

Although the availability of candidates to fill job vacancies continued to rise strongly in August, the rates of improvement in both permanent and&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;temporary/contract staff availability eased to the weakest for a year.
Kevin Green,&amp;amp;nbsp;says: &amp;quot;For the first time in 17 months, this months report shows signs that the UK jobs market is improving.It seems that employers are becoming more confident in their hiring decisions with an increase in permanent recruitment and growth in temporary placements for the first time in over a year.
&amp;quot;The stabilisation in the jobs environment must not be put at risk by the introduction of ill-designed regulation like the Agency Workers Directive. This legislation needs careful consideration to avoid putting jobs at risk and must not be introduced until the last possible moment in 2011.Unemployment will continue into 2010 so we call on the Government, employers and recruitment businesses to work more effectively together to build on these green shoots and safeguard the recovery of the jobs market.&amp;quot; 
Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG comments: &amp;quot;This is the first time we have seen really positive news for the UK jobs market in 17 months. However, it is too early to speculate whether this signals the end of the recession. One important factor to watch over the coming months will be how the public sector is coping with the financial and economic crisis. Given that employment costs are a substantial element of public sector spending, you would expect significant pressure on those costs going forward. This is likely to have a significant impact on the UK jobs market.&amp;quot;
The Report on Jobs provides the most comprehensive guide to the UK labour market, drawing on original survey data provided by recruitment consultancies. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>More News on the Agency Workers Directive</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=94</link><description><![CDATA[
The ARC has delivered a stark warning in its submission to the Government on the Agency Workers Directive.It said that the Government was gold plating the Agency Workers Directive by giving additional rights to agency workers that would add millions more to the cost for employers and for agencies.ARC chairman Adrian Marlowe said: &amp;quot;The Government is adding enormously to the cost of the Directive at a time when employers are struggling to cope with the Recession.&amp;quot;We have calculated that the overall cost will be a massive &amp;amp;pound;2.6billion, which is &amp;amp;pound;700million more than the Governments own figures. The increase alone is the equivalent to building one new Millennium Dome a year.&amp;quot;The Government costs are built on sand. They estimate that only 44% of agency assignments exceed 12 weeks, which seriously underestimates the true number.&amp;quot;In fact, the Labour Force Survey carried out by the Government, puts the true figure at nearer 70%. This is supported by additional research from the EIRO Foundation, which estimates that 64% of assignments are more than 12 weeks. The country simply cannot afford this gold-plated directive.&amp;quot;If the Government insists on gold plating the directive, the ARC is calling for it to adopt its two-tier system. This would allow lower paid agency workers to be paid the same as employees after 12 weeks in an assignment, but higher paid workers, earning more than say 1.5 % of the national minimum wage, would be exempt from the directive for a year.
The REC (Recruitment &amp;amp; Employment&amp;amp;nbsp;Confederation Comments were &amp;quot; The close of the consultation on the Agency Workers Directive at the end of the week (31st July) is a significant milestone in the implementation of controversial new EU regulations that have been debated in Brussels and Whitehall since 1999. 
The Directive provides for equal treatment between agency workers and direct recruits after 12 weeks of an assignment. After what has been a heavily politicised debate, it is now down to the practicalities of how EU regulations that are ill-suited to the agency work model in the UK can best be implemented. The REC has presented a blueprint for a&amp;amp;nbsp;workable implementation through the work of the Agency Work Commission and the feedback of thousands of recruitment professionals. 
Commenting on what is at stake with the new regulations, Kevin Green, Chief Executive, REC said:&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;quot;There are over a million temporary and contract workers out on assignment each week and it is thanks to these flexible working options that the UK jobs market is starting to show signs of life. There will be intense Trade Union pressure to gold plate the new regulations but the Government must be brave and avoid the kind of cost, bureaucracy and uncertainty that would have the perverse effect of limiting job opportunities.&amp;quot;
&amp;quot;The feedback from recruiters confirms that the EU Directive could add over 20% cost to the provision of agency workers&amp;amp;nbsp;through added bureaucracy and complexity.&amp;amp;nbsp; Recruiters are also concerned about&amp;amp;nbsp;the huge practical issues linked to establishing equal treatment in the UK. The Government must look beyond the political rhetoric and the misinformed notions that temporary workers are systematically exploited and must adopt a pragmatic approach that serve the interests of UK jobs and competitiveness.&amp;quot;
&amp;quot;The reality is that there is already fair pay for the vast majority of agency workers in this country, what we need is fair play for the thousands of agencies who will have to make the regulations work on the ground.&amp;quot; 
Key demands from the REC include:

The Directive should&amp;amp;nbsp;not implemented until the last possible moment at the end of 2011.&amp;amp;nbsp; This will enable agencies to work with clients to make sure that equal treatment is properly understood.&amp;amp;nbsp; It is also vital that the temporary jobs market is not disrupted as we pull out of recession. 
Equal treatment should be established on objective grounds, such as pay scales and company practice detailed in handbooks.&amp;amp;nbsp; There should never be an attempt to invent hypothetical comparators to establish equal treatment.&amp;amp;nbsp; These would lead to great uncertainty in the market. 
Equal pay should be limited to that given in hourly wage.&amp;amp;nbsp; Reflecting complex and varying bonus structures would simply be too complex to work out in an ad hoc temporary relationship. 
Self employed workers in business on their own account should not be covered by this legislation.&amp;amp;nbsp; These people engage with agencies as a company and are highly paid. 
Equal treatment should be earned after 12 continuous weeks in an assignment.&amp;amp;nbsp; Genuine ad hoc arrangements where a worker may move between a variety of clients in a 12 week period should not add into the 12 week qualifying period. 
The Government must not go beyond those rights clearly laid down by the Directive and social partner agreement&amp;quot;. 
]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Agency Personnel merge with eResponse</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=96</link><description><![CDATA[
Two Worcestershire recruitment companies are celebrating the completion of a successful merger this month (November).Redditch based businesses eResponse Recruitment and Agency Personnel are combining the old and the new to become one of the largest independent recruitment agencies in the region.
Agency Personnel, which was formed in 1979, celebrated 30 years in business this year, whilst its new partner, eResponse, which has been operating for 6 years, it has used technology to grow rapidly and attain a reputation for speed and forward thinking amongst employers in the local area. 
Founded by brothers Joe and Paul Alekna, eResponse (www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk) developed its core business by combining web based technology with the more traditional recruitment consultancy role. &amp;quot;We are delighted to be joining forces with one of the areas most established recruitment companies,&amp;quot; comments Paul Alekna &amp;quot;We feel that the combination of an older well established business complements our more modern, fast growing business perfectly. Both businesses have a fundamental commitment to customer service and a great understanding of the local market - the fit was obvious and means that we will be able to go from strength to strength -and offer an even better service to our clients in the Worcestershire area.&amp;quot;
eResponse specialises in offering flexible temporary personnel and online vacancy solutions for the customer service, business development, accounts, office support and warehousing sectors. The company is well known in the region for supplying same day labour to over 300 businesses locally. The agency was also the first in Worcestershire to be accredited with the Recruitment and Employment Confederations Audited status which they were awarded in 2005. 
With the merger now complete, the newly formed company will be known as eResponse Recruitment and the team of&amp;amp;nbsp;12 staff will continue to operate from the original eResponse offices on Unicorn Hill in Redditch.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employees Lie for extra Christmas shopping days</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=98</link><description><![CDATA[
Most UK workers have lied to their employers to get in some extra Christmas shopping, according to research from voucher code and discount site www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk. 
The research shows that 67% of 1,278 workers polled had lied to their boss to do some extra Christmas shopping at their companys expense.Of those that have lied, 72% did so at a time when their employer actually needed them.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Society Suffers Destination Addiction</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=97</link><description><![CDATA[
Modern society has a destination addiction which focuses all of a persons attention on future happiness, psychologist Robert Holden told 40 HR directors in London last Thursday night.
&amp;quot;Our challenge is to find a way to enjoy the journey as much as possible,&amp;quot; said Holden, director of The Happiness Project and Success Intelligence and author of the recently published book Be Happy. &amp;quot;Happiness is hugely important.&amp;quot;
Holden was the guest speaker at a dinner hosted by HR recruiter Digby Morgan. Holdens work in the areas of happiness and success has been featured in two BBC documentaries and on US TV show Oprah. His&amp;amp;nbsp; talk centered around the elements of leadership success:
IQ, or thought leadership, about which Holden said, &amp;quot;Leaders are not paid to be busy, they are paid to think.&amp;quot;
EQ, or social capital and &amp;quot;making sure we have space for conversations&amp;quot; with leaders responsible for &amp;quot;hosting the conversations that matter most&amp;quot; and spiritual intelligence, or understanding &amp;quot;what is really real about us&amp;quot;.
Research has found that the future will not necessarily make people happy. &amp;quot;The key is embracing now,&amp;quot;&amp;amp;nbsp; Holden said.
Digby Morgan chief executive John Maxted told Recruiter: &amp;quot;I think the take-away from Robert for people in HR is to focus more on what makes people happy at work and recognise that this will make them successful rather than assume that success will bring people happiness.
&amp;quot;Some of his research into the choices that people make when having to choose between happiness and fame, recognition, and so forth is quite telling.
&amp;quot;The assumption that money and rewards is the source of happiness needs to be challenged.
&amp;quot;The other thing I would highlight is for HR to focus more on outcome rather than output. His point about people being busy but not always being clear what they were achieving was quite telling as was the point about people feeling guilty when they are not busy.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Loyal workers would take pay cut to save colleagues</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=99</link><description><![CDATA[More than two-thirds (69%) of UK employees would be willing to take a pay cut to avoid redundancy, according to a poll from job search engine Simply Hired.
The poll highlights that 37% of respondents cited fear that they would not be able to find a new job as the reason to accept a pay cut, while 32% would be willing to take a pay cut if it would also help their colleagues keep their jobs.
However, 29% of respondents would not take a pay cut, believing that they could find a new job that would pay their worth.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>2010 - Another tought Year for Employees?</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=100</link><description><![CDATA[Employees are expected to endure another tough year in 2010 as businesses continue to face an uphill struggle in difficult trading conditions.The British Chambers of Commerces latest Monthly Business Survey reveals that 63% of businesses are planning wage freezes or pay cuts next year, while 18% are considering the removal of benefits, such as bonuses and gym membership.The persistent squeeze on the employee pay packet is an indication that companies do not see economic conditions dramatically improving in 2010, despite hopes that the end of the recession may have arrived in the final quarter of 2009.A very fragile recovery was highlighted in the survey, as a majority of firms (67%) stated that they would operate at the same or reduced capacity levels in the first quarter of 2010 &amp;amp;#8211; a strong indicator that businesses believe demand and the trading environment will remain uncertain. This trend continues from Novembers survey, when companies stated that a lack of customer demand was the biggest obstacle over the next 12 months.David Frost, Director General of the BCC, said: &amp;quot;2010 is going to be a crucial year for the UKs economy. The private sector must be allowed to generate investment, growth and jobs by reducing the tax and red tape burden; support and incentives must be provided where needed; and the economy must be rebalanced away from debt and the public sector.&amp;quot;From what businesses tell me, they will get on with the job of creating wealth and employment, but they simply need government to get off their backs and let them do it.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC Supports Supermarket Ombudsman</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=101</link><description><![CDATA[The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has welcomed calls from the Conservative Shadow Environment Secretary Nick Herbert to set up a Supermarket Ombudsman. Commenting on the development Anne Fairweather, Head of Public Policy at the REC said: &amp;quot;It is a common experience of recruiters that supermarkets push highly competitive pricing structures down their supply chains. Recruiters supplying staff into food processing plants, or onto fields to pick crops, often bear the brunt of this pressure as they are inevitably at the end of the supply chain.&amp;quot;Whilst greater awareness of the minimum amount agencies need to receive in order to pay minimum wage and taxes has been welcomed, there is still more to do. Minimum levels of payment alone do not ensure that good recruitment practice is followed. It is vital that the proposed Ombudsman looks at all players in the supply chain, including recruitment agencies.&amp;amp;nbsp; REC will be pressing the Conservatives to ensure that their proposals look at the widest possible supply chain.&amp;quot; ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Arctic Conditions shouldn't mean we stand still</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=102</link><description><![CDATA[The severe weather affecting much of Britain and school closures affecting parts of the country do not necessarily have to mean major problems for employers, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said.A combination of technology and common sense on the part of employers and employees can minimise the impact for many.Where people can log in to work from home - or where the time can be used to focus on thinking, there is a real opportunity to minimise the cost to business of the travel chaos.However, many employers will be affected, with many job roles not able to be fulfilled through home working and other employees left with extra childcare responsibilities as schools close down because of the snow. In these cases difficult decisions on how to manage employees who have not been able to make it into work will have to be made.Rebecca Clake, Organisation and Resourcing Adviser at the CIPD, said: &amp;quot;Employers need to carefully consider opportunities and options available if the weather conditions do stop employees making it in. Many companies that have put in place the technology and management practices to allow home working, reap the benefits at a time like this.&amp;quot;Here at eResponse we have all managed to find our way in today. Those who need it have the ability to work remotely (either at a customers or from home) so were perfectly capable of meeting our customers needs come rain, snow or shine.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Temp and Perm Billings rise again in December</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=103</link><description><![CDATA[
Decembers Report on Jobs published by the REC in conjunction with KPMG has pointed to a fifth consecutive month of higher staff appointments. 
The latest survey findings highlighted faster increases in both permanent and temporary/contract staff employment during the month. 
Growth of permanent placements accelerated to the sharpest since July 2007, while temporary/contract staff billings rose at the fastest pace for two and a half years.
Recruitment consultants reported a further rise in vacancy levels in December. Demand for permanent and temporary/contract staff increased at the strongest rates for&amp;amp;nbsp;29 and&amp;amp;nbsp;22 months respectively.&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Average salaries for people placed in permanent jobs increased for the second month running in December. The rate of growth was solid and the fastest since June 2008. Hourly rates of pay for temporary/contract employees fell for a&amp;amp;nbsp;15th successive month, but the latest drop was only marginal and the smallest in that period.

The availability of candidates to fill job vacancies continued to increase in December. However, the latest improvements in both permanent and temporary/contract staff availability were the least marked for one and a half years.

Key points of the Report are



Growth of permanent staff placements fastest since July 2007. 
Temporary/contract staff billings rose at sharpest pace for&amp;amp;nbsp;30 months. 
Further increase in permanent staff salaries.
Kevin Green, the RECs Chief Executive&amp;amp;nbsp;says:
&amp;quot;As we head into 2010, the recovery of the UK jobs market is accelerating. Employer confidence is increasing and vacancies are on the up &amp;amp;#8211; with the fastest growth in permanent jobs since July 2007. Temporary and contract placements also rose at the sharpest pace for thirty months which underlines the crucial role that flexible working models will play in helping job-seekers back into work. 
&amp;quot;Despite the increase in demand for both temporary and permanent staff, the jobs market will remain extremely competitive, particularly for younger candidates. It is essential that the Governments pledge to invest over &amp;amp;pound;1bn to create 400,000 new youth job and training opportunities is met and that the private sector plays its part in getting younger candidates into work. To avoid a lost generation of workers, the REC has created a coalition of employers, professional recruiters and welfare providers to provide practical solutions for youth unemployment. It is also crucial that the Government ensures that new EU regulations on agency work do not curtail employers opportunities to create jobs.&amp;quot; 
Bernard Brown, Partner and Head of Business Services at KPMG comments: 
&amp;quot;The jobs market has continued its journey back to health and the data are certainly encouraging.We now need to see this improvement carried over into 2010 for the jobs recovery to be consolidated.However, the prospect of possibly extensive public sector job cuts in the second half of 2010 casts a long shadow over everything.The jobs market has been cushioned in recent years by continued public sector expansion.If this is put into reverse post-election, it could have a significant effect on employment figures.&amp;quot; 
The Report on Jobs provides the most comprehensive guide to the UK labour market drawing from original survey data provided by recruitment consultancies.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Business Confidence is Returning </title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=104</link><description><![CDATA[
The RECs latest survey of employers shows positive signs for the UKs labour market ahead of 2010. Decembers Jobs Outlook reported that 22% of employers now say business is beginning to improve, compared to just 1% in September. 
Commenting on the survey, RECs Director of Research Roger Tweedy said:
&amp;quot;At last there is evidence that life is returning to the UKs labour market. After several months of uncertainty it seems that firms are becoming more confident about their future hiring intentions.&amp;quot;
&amp;quot;Although if&amp;amp;nbsp;previous recessions are anything to go by we would expect unemployment to continue to rise even after the economy returns to growth, this report shows positive signs that unemployment will not be as high as people at the beginning of the year predicted.&amp;quot;
Jobs Outlook is based on a monthly sample survey of 600 employers undertaken by an independent market research company on behalf of the REC.&amp;amp;nbsp;It is designed to complement the RECs Report on Jobs published in conjunction with KPMG, which tracks the actual number of placements on a monthly basis.&amp;amp;nbsp;
Roger Tweedy concluded: &amp;quot;Whilst the labour market is still very fragile, the feedback from recruiters on the frontline of the labour market suggests that it is becoming easier to place jobseekers into work. As the labour market becomes more fluid once more this in turn will create more vacancies&amp;quot;.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Service Sector shows continued growth</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=105</link><description><![CDATA[
The UKs service sector has shown continued improvement, according to the CIPS/Markit index for December.
After accounting for seasonal factors, the CIPS/Markit Business Activity Index posted a reading of 56.8, up slightly from 56.6 in November.

document.write(AAMB16);


Activity and new business showed continued growth, while backlogs and employment fell at slower rates.
Paul Smith, senior economist at Markit Economics, says: &amp;quot;Decembers data confirmed that the UK service sector recorded robust growth during the final quarter of 2009, remaining consistent with a quarterly expansion on the official measure of above 1%.&amp;amp;nbsp; With new business rising at the strongest pace since September 2007 and expectations relatively high, the fundamentals remain in place for further solid gains in activity at least in the near-term.
&amp;quot;On the jobs front, private sector services employment moved closer to stabilisation, with the rate of job shedding the weakest for nearly a year-and-a-half. While this continues to support the view of an earlier-than-expected peak in overall joblessness, focus in 2010 is likely to increasingly shift to the public sector where expected austerity will inevitably impact on aggregate jobs and pay.&amp;quot;
Paul Alekna,&amp;amp;nbsp;Co Director&amp;amp;nbsp;at&amp;amp;nbsp;eResponse&amp;amp;nbsp;comments&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;quot;We have seen a strong increase in demand for both temporary and permanent placements during the last 3-months with December being our best month for&amp;amp;nbsp;perms in 4-Months; something thats unheard of for this time of Year in our marketplace! Clearly, those firms who stopped recruiting at the start of 2009 and those who made deep cuts in staffing are now coming back into the market creating more movement and opportunity. Equally, people who have stayed in roles through fear of less security elsewhere are begining to have their heads turned.!Our team continues to invest in a better level of customer service to people and our customers are benefiting from a faster turnaround on placements.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Loyalty is out the window for 1 in 3</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=106</link><description><![CDATA[
One in three UK workers would leave their employer for a new job if they could, finds PwC research 

Workers ambitions to find new roles could be good news in terms of creating movement and opportunities in a rather stagnant labour market and within companies 

41% have no plans to leave as a consequence of this loyalty while just 23% said they would consider leaving regardless 

Organisations must resolve to meet their employees expectations and needs or risk losing them to a competitor when the job market picks up
A third of UK employees (33%) say they have not felt valued by their employer during the recession and would leave for another job if they could, found a poll of around 950 workers commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). Of those respondents who said their employer had shown appreciation for them in the downturn, 41% said they had no plans to leave as a consequence of this loyalty while just 23% said they would consider leaving regardless. Only 7% of respondents said they did not understand how their role fits within the big picture of the organisation they work for so lack of engagement seems more strongly linked to feeling appreciated than a lack of belonging. It is resolution season and as a new decade of work begins and employees set about making career decisions, organisations must resolve to meet their employees expectations and needs or risk losing them to a competitor when the job market picks up, according to PwC.Michael Rendell, partner and leader, human resource services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, commented:
&amp;quot;Workers ambitions to find new roles could be good news in terms of creating movement and opportunities in a rather stagnant labour market and within companies - organisations will need to strike a balance between enjoying the reduction in employment costs that attrition can bring with the need to avoid overstretching existing staff. &amp;quot;New Year is clearly a popular time for people to make important decisions. Rather than losing their best people as individuals resolve to make changes to further their careers, organisations need to articulate the internal options available to top performers and remind workers why they chose to work for their employer in the first place &amp;amp;#8211; be that a competitive salary, interesting work or operating with values that match their own.&amp;quot;Some big employer brands fell down at the end of the noughties and the impact long-term of people decisions taken during the downturn is now being felt. The ways people are recruited, rewarded, retained, incentivised, trained and retired over the next few years will determine the employers of choice for the new decade and beyond.&amp;quot; 
For those workers undecided about what the future of work holds for them, PwC has launched a short online quiz &amp;amp;#8211; Where will you be in 2020? - designed to determine which world of work they are best suited to: www.pwc.com/managingpeople2020Recent research from PwC also found that more employees would value a free MP3 player, digital camera or similar technology gift (80%) from their boss than would appreciate being fast-tracked for promotion (67%). Cash bonuses, gift vouchers and extra annual leave scored highest - with 90%, 89% and 89% of respondents respectively saying they would value these. Extra time off to do charity work was the least favoured non-work reward with just under half valuing this option (49%). While being fast-tracked for promotion scored below many of the options given, an encouraging two-thirds (67%) of workers would still appreciate this. Additionally, more than one in three (37%) would value a promotion without a pay rise, also known as a no-motion. And, at the end of a tough year, the majority of workers would still appreciate a work-sponsored drink or lunch with their colleagues (62%). ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC Voices concerns over 2012 Pensions Reform</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=107</link><description><![CDATA[
REC takes forward industry concerns on pension reforms at Government launch 

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) was recently invited to the launch of the new brand name of the Governments personal accounts scheme. 

Now permanently renamed the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST), the event was attended by the Minister of State for Pensions Angela Eagle and provided a further opportunity for the REC to highlight the practical difficulties that the new personal pension accounts scheme could create for professional recruiters when it comes into force in 2012.

Under the workplace pension scheme all workers, including agency workers, will be automatically enrolled onto a pension scheme when they start work with the voluntary option of opting out. The employer contribution will start at one per cent and rise to three per cent by 2016/17. Workers will add a further four per cent and another one per cent will be made up in tax relief. 

Anne Fairweather, the RECs Head of Public Policy who attended the launch, said afterwards: &amp;quot;Our main issue is that this scheme was designed primarily for a stable workforce. The fluctuations within the agency work market will present real challenges for professional recruiters who will be responsible for automatically enrolling and then possibly refunding workers. &amp;amp;nbsp;This would create a huge administrative strain for agencies, especially as even very short assignments would be covered.&amp;quot;

Although the scheme will not start until 2012, the next year will be crucial in terms of influencing how it will operate in practice. 

Commenting on the need to ensure that the industrys voice is at the forefront of the debate, Anne Fairweather added: &amp;quot;The launch of NEST provided a further opportunity to highlight our concerns to the highest levels of Government. The REC will continue to campaign for a scheme which fits the agency market and for a common start date for all agencies, rather than a phased approach, in order to avoid distortions in the market place. 

&amp;quot;We still have a long way to go but we will continue to work closely with Government and pensions providers to ensure the best possible outcome for the industry&amp;quot;. 
As part of the ongoing campaign on pensions reform the REC is in regular dialogue with the Department for Work and Pensions as well as the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority (PADA) and the Pensions Regulator. The REC is also working with the Shadow Pensions team to ensure positive outcome under a possible Conservative administration.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>HR Pro's Site Talent Development as Key for 2010</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=108</link><description><![CDATA[
Developing talent with organisations is a key priority for HR in emerging from the recession, according to an international survey from the Scala Group, the ACE Network and supported by international law firm Salans.
The survey of over 550 senior HR management professionals across 17 countries found that while only 25% said enhancing pay and benefits would help companies successfully emerge from the downturn, 63% emphasised skill and capability development of employees.
The survey also ranked increased communication (65%) and employee engagement (51%) as the key drivers to ensuring companies were in the best possible position with their staff to not only survive the downturn, but be prepared for the upturn.
More than 56% of respondents said tackling poor performance remains a key priority in companies.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Government taps into the expertise of recruiters on youth unemployment </title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=109</link><description><![CDATA[
REC highlights industry contribution to Employment Minister

The REC has participated in a roundtable discussion with the Employment Minister Jim Knight this week on practical measures for addressing youth unemployment. 

The meeting was hosted by the CBI and included the participation of leading employers and recruiters who are in daily contact with young job-seekers. 
Discussions focused on the role of temporary and contract work and on the need to tackle barriers in the current benefits system that limit the viability of short-term assignments as a route into work. 

The meeting was also an opportunity to flag up initial findings from the RECs Youth Employment Taskforce that was launched in December. 

Commenting on the meetings outcome, Tom Hadley, the RECs Director of External Relations said:&amp;quot;The Government recognises the need to tap into the expertise and knowledge of professional recruiters and employers at the sharp end of the UK labour market. There is growing recognition for the role that recruiters play on a daily basis in helping job-seekers access the right opportunities and helping businesses to source the right talent. This latest meeting with the Employment Minister confirms that the industrys voice is at the forefront of the jobs debate.&amp;quot;

The RECs Youth Employment Taskforce is chaired by Baroness Prosser, Deputy Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and involves high-profile employers as well as representative bodies such as the CIPD and the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) and a number of leading recruiters and welfare providers. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Rating Bosses could help relieve workers stress</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=110</link><description><![CDATA[Companies are being urged to consider letting staff rate their managers ability, because it could be good for workers health.
Telling a boss what you think of him or her through constructive feedback is likely to make employees &amp;quot;happy, healthy and stress-free&amp;quot;, psychologists believe.
Research presented at a British Psychological Society conference found that the relationship between staff and line managers was the most commonly reported cause of stress in the workplace.
When bosses received feedback from their staff, they were more likely to change their style and be seen as more effective, a study of 150 managers and 500 workers found.
Managers who did not receive any feedback were less likely to change their management behaviour, according to the research.
&amp;quot;Without holding a mirror up to a person, they can have blind spots about how they come across and, if they think they are already good enough, why should they change?&amp;quot; research leader Emma Donaldson-Feilder, from Affinity Health At Work asked.
&amp;quot;The consequences of stress are pervasive.
&amp;quot;Those under stress may experience psychological symptoms, such as anxiety or depression, physiological symptoms, such as palpitations or raised blood pressure, or cognitive symptoms such as reduced mental capacity.
&amp;quot;Stress is a significant cause of sickness absence and this puts pressure on those left behind to run the business, creating a cycle of uncomfortable pressure with costs to the individual and to the company.&amp;quot;
But what if you tell your boss how you feel and he or she turns against you for that?
&amp;quot;We devised a questionnaire for exactly that reason,&amp;quot; Ms Donaldson-Feilder told Sky News Online. &amp;quot;And then the average findings were passed on to the manager
&amp;quot;What is really important,&amp;quot; she added, &amp;quot;is that the manager also gets the opportunity to have further training if there is a problem, because its not fair on them if they dont.&amp;quot;
The occupational psychologist believes that firms in the UK are too &amp;quot;task-oriented&amp;quot; and need to turn their attention back to people.
&amp;quot;If employers take care of their staff needs in general then they will get a better response from the workers - and that does make for better productivity in the long run.&amp;quot;
Ms Donaldson-Feilder and her colleagues are developing a guide for businesses including a questionnaire that staff can use to rate their line manager.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Publish your Jobs to the County </title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=111</link><description><![CDATA[
Driving the Right applications to your door...Excellent job board partnerships, social networking and emarketing strategies have combined with our two local recruitment centres to ensure we keep one step ahead in the race to sign up the talent that drives your business forward. And throughout 2010 we&amp;amp;nbsp;are increasing our candidate registration capacity by 100% to circa 12,000 registrations per annum. Were making the most of extensive interview and assement facilities during January by hosting the first Candidate Open Day of the year on Saturday 23rd January. Clients are invited to feature their employer profile along with current and future opportunities so if you have something in the pipeline that our team are not yet aware of now would be a good time to pick up the phone. It costs our clients nothing to be a featured employer for the event and we will arrange all of the supporting material required. Deadline is this coming Tuesday 19th January 2010. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Commercial Open Day 23 1 2010</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=113</link><description><![CDATA[&amp;amp;nbsp;OPEN DAY 
Saturday 23rd January 2010 10AM &amp;amp;#8211; 2PM 
Thinking about a change? 
If you have recently entered the jobs market or are thinking about a change in direction now is as good a time as ever to come and meet eResponse, Worcestershires recruiter of choice to hundreds of employers, local to you. 
Since 2003, eResponse has been working hard to match the best talent to the best local companies. Weve grown through personal recommendation, repeat business and positive word of mouth and now place over 6,000 people into work every year. 
Were local, were professional and we specialise in you.
We understand that re-entering the jobs market can be a daunting experience and that taking the time out to search and prepare for new opportunities is time consuming. 
Our dedicated team of professionals can provide you with real advise and support that is backed up by over 30-Years experience within the local employment marketplace. 
Job Opportunities in: Accounts, Administration, Secretarial, PA, Customer Service, Human Resource, Legal, Manufacturing, Media, Purchasing, Sales, Warehousing &amp;amp; Logistics.To find out how weve helped thousands of other local like minded people realise their potential come and meet the team between 10am and 2pm Saturday 23rd January and find out how a little local knowledge can go a long way...]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers now Screen using Social Networking Sites</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=114</link><description><![CDATA[
Most employers now use social networking sites to screen candidates with almost half claming that what they had viewed on such sites had caused them to think twice about hiring a candidate, according to a survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk.The survey of more than 450 employers found that 53% used social networking sites to research job candidates, while 12% plan to do so.
Around 43% of employers said what they had seen on social networking sites had caused them not to hire the candidate.
The top reasons were:

Candidate lied about qualifications &amp;amp;#8211; (38%) 
Candidate displayed poor communication skills &amp;amp;#8211; (31%) &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Candidate used discriminatory comments &amp;amp;#8211; (13%) &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Candidate posted content about their use of drink or drugs &amp;amp;#8211; (10%) &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Candidate uploaded provocative or inappropriate photographs or information &amp;amp;#8211; (9%) 
Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, colleagues or clients &amp;amp;#8211; (9%) 
Candidate shared confidential information from workplace &amp;amp;#8211; (8%)&amp;amp;nbsp;
Half of employers said they had found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate. &amp;amp;nbsp;
The top reasons were:

Profile substantiated candidates professional qualifications &amp;amp;#8211; (61%) 
Candidate displayed good communication skills &amp;amp;#8211; (41%) &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Candidate seemed well-rounded &amp;amp;#8211; (37%) &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Profile gave a good feel for the candidates personality and fit &amp;amp;#8211; (28%) 
Candidate was perceived as creative &amp;amp;#8211; (24%) 
Candidate gave off a professional image &amp;amp;#8211; (22%) 
Candidate had received awards and accolades &amp;amp;#8211; (15%) &amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; 
Contacts had posted good references about the candidate &amp;amp;#8211; (15%)]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Employers Not expecting further Job Losses</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=115</link><description><![CDATA[
Most employers (94%) do not anticipate further job losses, according to new research from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
The RECs January JobsOutlook also shows that one in five firms expect to increase headcount in 2010, while 75% say staffing levels will be maintained with some job opportunities arising.
Roger Tweedy, the RECs director of research, says: &amp;quot;This is positive news for jobseekers and confirms the stabilisation of the labour market and which, over time, will result in better jobs figures.
&amp;quot;The road to full employment will be slow but the trend of increasing employer confidence and a return to hiring is now established. We need to avoid any kind of employment legislation that will add to employers costs and so hinder job opportunities.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Easily Accesible Blackberrys hits Productivity</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=116</link><description><![CDATA[
Paying constant attention to your BlackBerry could actually make you less productive, according to an occupational psychologist.And recruitment companies should offer their staff training in the best use of BlackBerrys and other mobile devices, adds the psychologist, Amir Khaki.
Khaki has conducted research into patterns of BlackBerry use which showed that those who did not use the device as frequently suffered less stress.
Recruitment&amp;amp;nbsp;firms would benefit from giving their staff training on such devices. He said: &amp;quot;Even just short one-hour sessions would go a long way to stopping low levels of productivity and high levels of stress, because one of the main causes of stress is not knowing how to use the thing.&amp;quot;
Khaki added that using the technology in a &amp;quot;pervasive&amp;quot; way &amp;amp;#8211; which has given rise to the so-called CrackBerry moniker - did not necessarily have the positive connotations many thought.
&amp;quot;People think that using them all the time is a sign of devotion to their work but at the same time, if you are using it when you are with your family, for example, other people may look upon it as a bit sad.
&amp;quot;Self-perception can be positive but outside perception can be negative.&amp;quot;
Khaki counselled recruiters to use their BlackBerrys at certain times and to deal with emails in &amp;quot;batches&amp;quot;, rather than responding to each one as it arrives, and only turning the device on at certain times during the day.
He also warned against so-called BlackBerry thumb &amp;amp;#8211; repetitive strain injury to the digit caused by using the gadget too much.
Khakis research, produced in conjunction with the University of East London, took two groups of associates at law firms and monitored their BlackBerry use over three months, before analysing both quantitative and qualitative data.
He found that those paying constant attention to BlackBerrys were the least productive, and cited an example of one subject who was asked to complete a spreadsheet, a task which should have taken 20 minutes.
Due to his need to check his BlackBerry, the task took him more than an hour. &amp;quot;I agree that BlackBerrys are an essential tool but people should know how to use them and use them at appropriate times,&amp;quot; said Khaki, who spoke at the British Psychological Societys recent conference on the subject.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>The Yound need to Consider Jobs of the Future</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=117</link><description><![CDATA[
The&amp;amp;nbsp;REC has today responded to a Government-commissioned report into the landscape of future jobs. 

The research shows that a number of factors including population growth and climate change, alongside developments in science and technology, will lead to different careers in the future.&amp;amp;nbsp;
Commenting on the report, Anita Holbrow, Chair of the RECs Future of Employment Working Group (FEWG), said: &amp;quot;This report shows that young people are going to need to think ahead when deciding upon future career paths. The careers that seem attractive today may not be so tomorrow. It is important that young people explore their career options and hedge their career prospects on areas of growth.&amp;quot;
The Future of Employment Working Group is a coalition of business leaders representing some of the largest and most well known brands in the UK. The Group outlined its plans for the future jobs landscape in a report published at the end of 2009.
Anita Holbrow added: &amp;quot;One of the challenges the group found was the need to boost skill levels &amp;amp;#8211; particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects &amp;amp;#8211; so that the UK has a workforce that is able to take advantage of these new job opportunities. Recruiters are on the front line of the labour market and therefore ideally placed to advise Government on how best to maximise efforts to give people the right skills for the labour market.&amp;quot;
The REC will be making practical recommendations to Government on future jobs through the work of its Youth Employment Taskforce, made up of representatives from the broad business community and chaired by Baroness Prosser. &amp;amp;nbsp;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Why age 60 could become the new 40 for employers</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=118</link><description><![CDATA[

...Older people bring skills and experience to the workplace that can be an asset to business.That was the message from Business Minister Pat McFadden to industry and charities after he brought together experts from both sectors to discuss the economic challenges and opportunities of an ageing population.&amp;quot;As we continue to invest in growth, we need to make the most of all our talent: and that means harnessing the skills of the older generation as well as the young,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;This will put us in the strongest possible position going forward.&amp;quot;By 2050 more than a third of Europes population is expected to be over 60 years old. This means that there will be different pressures on services than there are today, but it also means a population with different needs and skills.If businesses can adapt to the needs of this older group, then the rewards could be significant.George Magnus, Senior Economic Adviser at UBS, said: &amp;quot;The UK needs to re-boot its ideas about how it adapts to ageing. No one is suggesting people should be compelled to work in their seventies, but many do want to do just that and this could have many advantages - not least in their own financial and psychological well-being.&amp;quot;A key theme of the conference was the fact that a considerable proportion of older people want to carry on working and, far from seeing themselves as a vulnerable group, believe they have much to offer the modern workplace.People from these groups are often also in a better position to advise on business ventures, as those over 50 are more likely to be self employed than younger people.]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Job markets continue to Improve</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=119</link><description><![CDATA[A quarterly global survey of hiring and firing trends covering more than 6000 organisations in 30 countries has found job prospects for professionals and managers continuing to improve.The &amp;quot;Global Snapshot&amp;quot; from the international firm, Antal, asked 6151 companies in major markets such as western and eastern Europe, Africa, India, China and the US whether they were currently hiring at professional and managerial level. It then asked whether they planned to do so in the coming quarter and whether they were currently letting staff go or were planning to do so in the next three months.Current hiring across the globe was up from 50% of respondents in the autumn to 53% now. And the percentage of organisations intending to hire in the coming quarter was up from 48% to 55%. On the downside the percentage of organisations intending to shed staff had also risen slightly from 25% in the autumn to 28% now. However the general consensus was that the figure would drop to 22% over the coming quarter.In Western Europe, the highest current hiring levels among the larger economies were in the UK (59%), France (55%), and Germany (51%). However many of the smaller countries bettered their larger neighbours, namely Switzerland (64%), Austria (58%) and Luxembourg (58%).The lowest levels of hiring were in Malta at 31% and Spain at just 30%&amp;amp;nbsp;In Eastern Europe and Eurasia, the highest recruiting levels in this region were in Russia (71%), the Czech Republic (57%), Romania (55%) and Poland (48%). Hungarys well-documented economic problems meant that it had the lowest level of hiring in the region with only 28% of businesses questioned actively seeking new managers or professionals although this was an improvement on the autumn figure of just 26%.&amp;amp;nbsp;Across the globe the sectors with the highest levels of recruitment at professional and managerial level were:1 Pharmaceuticals2 Manufacturing3 Engineering4 IT software5 BankingThe lowest were education and shipbuilding.Antal CEO Tony Goodwin said: &amp;quot;Although a few countries are still seeing a decline in the employment market, the global picture has definitely improved once again.&amp;quot;As we said in September, we are most certainly not out of the woods as yet and there may be more unpleasant economic surprises to come but it does seem as if organisations of all sizes are approaching 2010 with more confidence than would have seemed possible in the very dark days of January 2009.&amp;quot;As a result we are already seeing the first clear signs of organisations thinking in terms of the war for talent once more with more robust businesses making early moves to snap up the best people in their markets before general recovery becomes too apparent.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>January sees more jobs growth</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=120</link><description><![CDATA[Permanent staff placements increased for the sixth month running during January, according to the latest Report on Jobs published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG. Although weaker than Decembers peak, the rate of growth remained marked. Temporary/contract staff billings also rose strongly, with the pace of expansion only slightly below the previous months two-and-a-half year high.Key points of the Report are:* Growth of permanent placements eased from Decembers peak but remained strong;* Temporary/contract staff billings continued to rise at marked pace;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; * Staff demand grew at strongest rate since July 2007.Higher staff appointments were underpinned by a further improvement in demand for staff. Vacancies increased for the fourth consecutive month, and at the fastest rate since July 2007. The availability of staff to fill both permanent and temporary/contract vacancies continued to rise in January. However, in both cases, the rates of growth eased further from the elevated levels seen in late 2008 and early 2009.&amp;amp;nbsp; Although permanent staff salaries continued to increase in January, the rate of growth eased slightly and remained weak by the surveys historical standards. Temporary/contract staff pay rose for the first time since September 2008, albeit only marginally.Kevin Green, the RECs Chief Executive said: &amp;quot;The growth in people getting permanent jobs eased in January but still remained positive overall. The number of vacancies reported by recruitment businesses also accelerated at the sharpest rate since July 2007, suggesting that we are now on the long road to recovery.&amp;quot;The labour market is out of intensive care but it is still in a fragile state. While employers are hiring more now than at any other time in the last year, the recovery is tentative and must not be put at risk by taxes or regulatory changes.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Brits are the most bullish in Europe...</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=121</link><description><![CDATA[British companies are the most bullish in Europe about their prospects for future growth, with 83% of chief executives claiming that the outlook for their business in 2010 is either good or very good, according to new research from KPMG International.The survey found that approximately three quarters (74%) of European businesses believe their prospects for 2010 to be positive. At 83%, UK firms were overwhelmingly the most optimistic, while in contrast, German (65%) and Danish firms (66%) were the most measured in their assessment of the outlook for the next 12 months.The research also indicates that most UK firms appear to have weathered the economic crisis well, with three-quarters saying that their company was as strong - if not stronger - at the end of 2009 as it was at the end of 2008. Only 25% indicated that their business was weaker as a result of the recession. This compares to a European average of 69% who felt their company has survived the recession intact.Other topline figures show:* Almost half (46%) of mid-market businesses in the UK think that economic recovery will take place by the end of 2010, while a further 39% believe the upturn will come in 2011;* Just under two-thirds (65%) expect to maintain workforce levels during 2010, with a further 22% planning to recruit new members of staff; * Only 13% intend to actively reduce their headcount;* Financial risk was cited as the greatest threat to UK business in 2010 (59%), with access to capital (31%) and currency risks (28%) also featuring high on the list of challenges;* Just under two-thirds of respondents in the UK (63%), believe Government intervention was effective in minimising the impact of the recession.Mark Hopton, Head of EMA Middle Market for KPMG, said: &amp;quot;At first sight, the fact that almost three quarters of respondents to our survey in the UK say that business over the last 12 months has been either good or very good appears to be somewhat staggering, given the prevailing economic circumstances. Some may put this down to bravado; however, Im more inclined to think that its a reflection of the sheer relief felt by companies who have successfully navigated their way through the downturn.&amp;quot; He added: &amp;quot;In times such as these, survival equals success, so its small wonder that so many feel at the start of 2010 that they have reason to be cheerful. This in turn is reflected in their cautiously optimistic outlook for the coming 12 months - many are now looking towards growth plans, including more than half who plan to develop new products and services, and over a third who are looking to tap into foreign markets.&amp;quot; UK businesses reported that the main challenges they have faced in the wake of the global recession were increased costs (43%) and difficulty in accessing finance (28%). However, over a fifth of UK businesses also pointed to pressure on company pension schemes as a significant issue - something which appears to be further down the list of priorities elsewhere in Europe.More than two thirds (68%) of companies indicated that international business was a critical part of their strategy, both in terms of attempting to minimise the effects of the economic downturn and building a strong platform for future growth. ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>REC Backs Young Britain Campaign</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=122</link><description><![CDATA[
The REC has today signed up to the Governments Backing Young Britain Campaign to pledge the recruitment industrys support in helping to prevent a generation of young people being lost to unemployment. 
Last November at its National Convention, the REC launched a Youth Employment Taskforce to bring together leading figures in recruitment and HR and provide practical solutions to getting young unemployed people into work.
The RECs Youth Employment Taskforce is chaired by Baroness Prosser, Deputy Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and involves high-profile employers as well as representative bodies such as the CIPD and the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) and a number of leading recruiters and welfare providers.
Commenting on the Backing Young Britain campaign and on the progress of the RECs Taskforce so far, Chief Executive Kevin Green says:
&amp;quot;Whilst the unemployment figures for December showed a decline in the number of young claimants, a further group of job-seekers will be entering the labour market in the summer. Employers and recruiters can play a crucial role by highlighting the skills and support mechanisms that are needed in order to build bridges into the world of work. The REC supports the aims of the Backing Young Britain Campaign and we will be using our Youth Employment Taskforce to drive the debate forward.
&amp;quot;As well as enhancing support to young people, the Government must stimulate job creation, for example through the tax regime and by encouraging entrepreneurship. The aim of our Taskforce is to develop practical recommendations on these and other areas and to look at the longer term outlook in terms of jobs and skills needs of the future.&amp;quot;
Specific issues that the Youth Employment Taskforce is addressing include:
*How is the employment landscape evolving, what are the jobs of the future for young job-seekers?&amp;amp;nbsp;
*What are the changing attitudes of young people to the world of work and what skills do they need to succeed?&amp;amp;nbsp;
*How can we build effective bridges into the world of work and provide young job-seekers with the support to compete in an increasingly competitive labour market? ]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Wage Freezes could hamper economic growth</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=123</link><description><![CDATA[Widespread wage freezes across the private and public sector will reduce consumer demand and could threaten the UKs fragile economic recovery, the TUC has warned.The TUC said reports of pay freezes, a fall in private sector wages and soaraway public sector pay have all been greatly exaggerated.Unions have negotiated wage freezes and cuts in struggling firms as a genuine alternative to job losses during the recession, but the vast majority of companies agreed decent pay rises. IDS research shows that the average pay settlement in 2009 was 2.3%, even though inflation was below zero for much of the year.The TUC said it rejected the myth put forward by employer groups that raising the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for young people would make it harder for them to get jobs, saying instead that it was a lack of vacancies for new entrants, as well as a lack of experience, that made it harder for young people to find work.The TUC also said that young workers employment fared better in low paying sectors than the rest of the labour market.Deputy General Secretary Frances OGrady said: &amp;quot;The UKs deep recession and low inflation have inevitably pushed wage settlements down. Unions have sensibly accepted pay freezes where it genuinely helps to keep people in work. But union negotiators are wise to employers exaggerating the need for pay restraint just so they can boost profits...&amp;quot;With inflation rising, it is only right that both private and public sector staff should look to pay increases in the year ahead. If staff are not paid properly then companies will have no-one to buy their goods and services.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>94% of employers expect workforces to grow</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=124</link><description><![CDATA[Confidence is returning among employers, according to the latest JobsOutlook survey from the Recruitment &amp;amp; Employment Confederation (REC).In the latest survey, a total of 94% of employers expect either to maintain or grow their permanent workforces in the next 12 months. The survey also shows that one in four employers is planning to increase their temporary workforce in the next year which highlights the important flexibility that contract and temporary work provides to employers and jobseekers looking to get back into the jobs market.The latest JobsOutlook also shines the light on the specific attributes that employers are looking for from new recruits as they start to lift their recruitment freezes with communication and interpersonal skills topping in the list.Roger Tweedy, the REC&amp;amp;#146;s Director of Research said: &amp;quot;&amp;amp;#147;Increasing employer confidence is looking like resulting in more hiring over the coming year. Businesses are naturally cautious about the economic recovery which is why the provision of temporary and contract work will continue to provide a useful outlet.&amp;quot;&amp;amp;#147;Looking ahead, the REC is seeking Government action to remove the barriers to growth and job creation such as increased business taxation and employment regulations. It is still a long road back to full employment in the UK and we are concerned that the squeeze on public expenditure could negate some of the upside we are seeing from private sector employers.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Recruitment Opportunities Explode</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=125</link><description><![CDATA[Growth of permanent staff placements accelerated in February, reaching its strongest since July 2007, according to the latest Report on Jobs published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG.Temporary/contract staff billings also increased, although the latest rise was the slowest in three months.Overall demand for staff continued to increase in February, extending the current period of growth to five months. The pace of expansion accelerated again, reaching its fastest for just over two-and-a-half years. Sharper increases in demand were recorded for both permanent and temporary/contract staff.&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;nbsp; Although still moderate relative to the surveys long-run trend, the rate of inflation of permanent staff salaries accelerated to a 20-month high in February. Temporary/contract staff hourly pay rates rose marginally for the second month running. The supply of candidates to fill vacancies continued to rise in February, but at a slower rate. The latest increases in both permanent and temporary/contract staff availability were the weakest since April 2008.Kevin Green, the RECs Chief Executive, said: &amp;quot;The UK jobs market is continuing to improve. Increasing employer confidence has resulted in the best performance weve seen in permanent employment for two and a half years. High-end sectors such as IT are showing particularly strong growth and we are also seeing significant increases in demand for admin and back-office support.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Monday Hangover No.1 Office Sickie</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=126</link><description><![CDATA[Monday is the most popular day for workers to pull a sickie - and in nine out of 10 cases a hangover is the reason.That is the key trend revealed from research by recruitment agency review site HireScores.Some 34% of employees chose Monday for a &amp;quot;sickie&amp;quot;, with Friday next most popular at 26%.Monday came top as it &amp;quot;tended to be the quietest day in work&amp;quot; for most - others said it was when they were more likely to get away with it.One in four said they were most likely to pull a sickie on a Friday so that they could start their weekend early. Some 41% said that they were more likely to go out on a Thursday than any other weekday night, and were often hung over on the Friday. One in 10 said that they just didnt like working on Fridays.Wednesday was the day that people were least likely to take off, with 38% stating that it was the day that they liked most at work. One in four said that it was the day when they actually felt the most proactive.Some 35% of those polled said that they pulled a sickie because they didnt think they would be able to get the time off if they requested it the right way, while one in 10 didnt want it to be taken out of their paid holiday.Of those who worked weekends, just over half said they were more likely to pull a sickie on a Sunday.Top reasons for pulling a sickie:* Hangover &amp;amp;#8211; 89%* Tired/Late night &amp;amp;#8211; 68%* Stay with a partner &amp;amp;#8211; 53%* Holiday &amp;amp;#8211; 49%* Cannot be bothered &amp;amp;#8211; 47%Lisette Howlett, Managing Director of HireScores said: &amp;quot;Unfortunately, these results are suggesting the sickie really does seem to be somewhat of an institution.&amp;quot;While dealing with one-off, single day absences can appear quite challenging to managers, statistics like these suggest that there may be a good reason to take action - perhaps trying out a more creative solution is the way forward.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item><item><title>Jobsite launches free iPhone app</title><link>http://www.e-responserecruitment.co.uk/news_details.php?id=127</link><description><![CDATA[Jobsite has launched a free iPhone app to help job seekers find work faster.The firm said that the innovation was part of its philosophy to make searching for work easier and less frustrating.The &amp;quot;Jobsite Jobs&amp;quot; app enables job seekers to search whenever and wherever they want, ensuring they never miss an opportunity.Users can search for jobs by job title, location, contract type and date added to the site &amp;amp;#8211; from the last two hours to the previous seven days. Results can be sorted by relevance, salary or date. Job seekers are able to view full details of the job on their iPhone and have the choice to save the opportunity and apply later or apply via their iPhone using their CV stored on Jobsite.Jobsite CEO Keith Potts said: &amp;quot;Traditionally, going online was restricted to a computer but with the development of new technologies there is a quickly developing preference among some audience segments to search the web via mobile.&amp;quot;Last year we saw the number of people using mobile devices to access Jobsite increase dramatically, with a growth of 136% between January and its peak in October. We expect this to increase further with the wider adoption of smart phones in 2010 and beyond.&amp;quot;To ensure we provide the best service to this audience the Jobsite Jobs iPhone app is the first in a series of mobile developments. Over the coming months we will be launching further innovative products and tools to help job seekers look for work in the most convenient way for them. This commitment will also help to ensure that our recruiters continue to find the best people to fill their vacancies.&amp;quot;]]></description><language>EN</language></item></channel></rss>